


Starlight in Green Eyes

by CCSandwich



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anal Sex, Angels, Bottom!Dean Winchester, Castiel's Handprint, Complete, Destiel - Freeform, Elves, Far Future AU, Multi, Sabriel - Freeform, Smut, Space Vampires AU, Supernatural Creatures Abound, Top!Castiel, Top!Dean Winchester, Vampire!Gabriel, Vampires, Wing Kink, Winged!Castiel, Winged!Demon(kind of?)Dean, bondmates, bottom!Castiel, kinda slow burn, vampire!Dean, vampire!Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:55:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 56,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5229473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CCSandwich/pseuds/CCSandwich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scientist Castiel Novak never expected his time machine to transport him 5,000 years into the future. Nor did he expect to be saved by a 10,000 year old vampire, Dean Winchester, when he arrived. Flung into a world of spaceships and vampires, it's a wonder Castiel retains his sanity. After he discovers a few crazy things about himself, his world starts to fall apart. But then he starts to fall in love with Dean and discovers that his future may not be all bad...</p><p>COMPLETED!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting on AO3! This story has been on Fanfiction.net for a full year now and I don't think it's getting enough visitors (of course that could be because I haven't updated it since July... Oops) so I decided to upload it here! As I am a busy student I can't promise that I'll always post every week, but I understand the frustration of reading a good fanfiction, following it to see the next chapter, and then reading that it was last updated in 2010. It's a horrible feeling, so I'll try to keep all of you from experiencing it.
> 
> I randomly had this idea last year and it's grown into quite the plot bunny, let me tell you. Destiel, Sabriel, and space vampires probably isn't how the writers imagined their show to be immortalized in fanfiction, but here we are.
> 
> This story does have eventual smut of the man/man kind, so if you're not into that, please leave when I give the warning beforehand!
> 
> Enjoy!

Castiel sighed as he shut the fuse box. Even if his research facility was one of the well-funded in the country, there was still a massive apartment complex a few miles away that they shared a power grid with. The power went out all the time. The government had assured Castiel and his assistants that they'd fix it, but they were currently using their electricity funding for Area 51's extraterrestrial program.

He pulled his lab coat tighter around him, the chilly night air permeating the thin fabric easily. November in the part of New Mexico close to the Colorado border was almost freezing. Castiel stared up at the many stars glittering above him. He used to want to be an astronaut, to fly in a spaceship out to the moon and beyond, but NASA had canceled the program before he had finished college and he never got the chance to go up there. He sighed, his breath visible. The scientist opened the door and headed back into the research facility. Castiel shook his head at the shocked faces of his assistants when he arrived back in his lab.

"You're like, amazing if you can get the power back on that easily," said his newest assistant. She'd been in the lab for a month, and was the most annoying thing that Castiel had ever encountered.

"Thank you. I'm going to go work now."

"You got it, boss. Have fun," his other assistant said. Castiel ignored them both and went into his office.

Only a handful of people knew what exactly they were researching. Everyone in the town with the apartment complex just thought they were some kind of food processing plant, so they left the scientists alone. Little did they know that the facility was actually housing one of the most valuable research programs that the United States government was running.

It was a well-protected facility, with 200 soldiers patrolling the perimeter. There were fifteen armored tanks, seventeen watch-towers. It almost seemed like a prison to Castiel. He was allowed to leave, but he just lived in one of the facility's dormitories. He had almost no personal possessions and no family to speak of, so it made sense to live where he worked than have to drive all the time and go through security checks every day.

It made sense, all of the security. If what they were researching got into the wrong hands… Well, it'd be very bad.

After all, the power to change the visit the past and future could have some very negative effects on the world-as-we-know-it. Castiel Novak and his assistants were researching time travel.

They had somehow managed to build a working machine and had succeeded in transported inanimate objects. Castiel had expressed his concern about the time-space continuum, so the government had implemented a rule that they were not to transport anything back in time. 

This led to the creation of a machine that they hoped and assumed would only have the capability to transport things to the future. Immediately after, Castiel had set the time to five minutes in the future and had set his pen in the transport chamber. It had disappeared, and reappeared in the chamber exactly five minutes later.

After this discovery, the assistants had pranked each other by putting the other's watch or pen in the machine and transporting it five minutes into the future. That had been funny for a while until Castiel told them that if they did it anymore he'd wipe their memories and send them to work elsewhere, one at Wal-Mart and one at McDonalds. That shut the both of them up for a while.

Castiel had never successfully sent anything living forward. The first time they had tried to send a lab-grown mouse that one of the assistants had named Lucky, the mouse ended up very unlucky. And in pieces. Everywhere. The second one was left intact, but the shock of time-travel caused it to have a heart attack. A few weeks later, a fly had accidentally flown into the machine and popped out an hour later, weakly buzzing. The assistants frantically scribbled down notes, and then Castiel had sent them outside to catch grasshoppers.

They had sent ten grasshoppers through the machine, which had caused absolute chaos in the lab when they reappeared. After the soldiers had been brought in for some small, moving target practice, they had tried again with another mouse. To the scientist's chagrin, they got the same result from before. Castiel had tweaked his calculations and tried again, but it was hopeless. Nothing beyond bugs could be sent through, and right now they were in a dry spell in their research.

"Boss?" One of the assistants peeked his head through the door, snapping Castiel out of his reminiscing.

"Yes? What do you need?"

"I'm going to leave for the night, and so is Megan." Oh, so that was her name.

"That's fine. Come back tomorrow at the usual time; we'll find something to work on."

"Sure thing. I know you live here and all, but will you be okay by yourself?" the guy asked. Castiel somehow managed a smile, although it probably seemed more like a grimace.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. You go home and get some sleep. By the way, what time is it?"

The assistant checked his watch. "1:30 a.m."

"Lovely," Castiel said, wiping his face. His assistant smiled sympathetically and left, lightly closing the door behind him. The scientist sighed, and got to work on his computer.

2 hours later, he awoke to a beeping noise. It was his computer, letting him know that he had exceeded the page limit. Castiel raised his head to see the 40,649 pages of random letters and groaned. His original paper was unsalvageable. Sighing, he gave up on it and closed the document, hitting the "don't save" button. He stood and went to the door, opening it and heading to the lab. He frowned when he saw the time machine. One of his assistants had set it to 5,000 years. Castiel scoffed. Had they tried to send something through?  
He went over to the machine and stared at it. It was vibrating, like it was alive. Castiel cocked his head to the side. It had never done that before. Leaning to look at the control panel on the other side, he set his hand on what he thought was the table. Immediately the machine whirred to life, beeping frantically. Castiel looked at it, confused. Then his eyes widened as he saw that his hand wasn't on the table. It was on the flat glass portal that the item to be sent was placed on.

"Shit!" Castiel tried to pull his hand away, but it was too late. Just as his brain's "Let go!" connected with his arm, the machine's sending alarm blared. Castiel caught a glimpse of a long, blue tunnel before he blacked out.


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel isn't in Kansas (New Mexico) anymore. And no, nothing's in Technicolor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to upload the first four or five chapters I have and see how you guys like them :)

Castiel woke, gasping. He sat up and immediately laid back down. The oxygen content in the air was way too low, and he gasped for breath. The air around him was filled with red dust, collecting on his white lab coat. He struggled some more, but was ultimately defeated by the need for air.

Castiel spread his arms, no longer gasping. His brain felt like lead and his body felt like air.

A bright light appeared above him, and Castiel smiled. It was just so pretty… His body started moving upward towards it, and then he was in a white room.

"Get me an oxygen tank!" Someone yelled. The last thing Castiel saw before he blacked out were concerned green eyes with a strange tinge of red.

* * *

 

"…llo? Hello! Bobby! He's waking up!" Castiel slowly opened his eyes and groaned.

Everything hurt, especially his brain. He felt like he had that one time in college the morning after the hardest drinking party of his life. He tried to sit up but was pushed back down by a strong, tan arm.

A man in plaid and a baseball cap with a beard was looking at him concernedly.

"Don't try to sit up. Here's some water," he said, holding the cup to Castiel's mouth.

The scientist drank hungrily. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"You're on a ship," the man said.

"In the ocean?"

"What do you mean, in the ocean? Don't you know that the oceans are gone? They evaporated a long time ago. Dean, I think he's been reading too many history books."

"I don't know, Bobby. He sounds pretty convinced." A man emerged from the shadows. His eyes looked familiar, and Castiel realized that he was the one that he had seen in the light.

"You're…" Castiel began. The man sighed. "Yeah, yeah, Dean Winchester, oldest living vampire in this universe and captain of the spaceship Impala. Everyone knows me, goddammit."

"You're not making any sense," Castiel said, sitting up. "There's no such thing as vampires, nor is there any spaceship called Impala in Earth's orbit. NASA canceled the space program five years ago."

"What kind of random space drug are you smoking? NASA's gone, as is the rest of the U.S. government. The only thing out here now is us, Amaterasu, and The Avenger. And there is too such thing as vampires. All of the ships are run by vampires." Dean looked like he thought Castiel was stupid.

"I've never heard of such a thing. The U.S. government is doing just fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to my lab."

"That broken down building we found you in? There's nothing there anymore. There hasn't been in about 5,000 years."

"Five thousand years?!" Castiel asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Dean," Bobby said, beckoning the man closer. He whispered something in his ear. The vampire paled.

He turned to Castiel. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Castiel Novak," the scientist said, a little bewildered.

"Holy shit," Bobby said. "The story was true."

"What? What story?"

Dean sat down on the hospital bed next to Castiel. "Five thousand years ago, a scientist who worked in the building that you were found in disappeared. He was one of the most valuable researchers in his field, but no one knew what exactly his research field was. The U.S. government kept it all under wraps, but then, fifty years later when the nuclear war began, the files came out. Apparently, that scientist had been researching time travel technology. Naturally, that scared the living shit out of everybody, so they burned the building that the scientist had been working in. It was an old hollowed-out shell by the time they were done. No papers or anything were salvaged, not even the machine prototypes." 

Castiel looked paler by the minute as Dean continued.

"Then, the vampires of the world revealed themselves to humanity. One of our powers is to be able to tell the future as far as how old we are. I, being the oldest, could see 5,000 years into the future at the time. I saw the state the world was in, and I took action. The vampire council and I put billions of dollars into building three massive ships that would carry a billion people each. America and England got theImpala and The Avenger, and Asia got the Amaterasu. It took us 50 years to completely build them. By then, the Earth's population was down to about 3.5 billion.

"We decided which world leaders would be best to bring, and then we did a study on fertility. We brought six million highly fertile humans on each ship, and then we held a lottery to determine who else would be able to come aboard. There were about a million vampires back then, 300 on the council, so each ship got 100 for the crew. I helped build and named the Impala, so I got the choice of who could be on it. I chose my friend here, Bobby," Bobby tipped his hat to Castiel.

"I also brought my family: my brother Sam, my aunt Ellen, my niece Jo, and all of my friends and associates. That left a few extra spaces, so I brought some genius scientists and turned them. By then, they had invented a renewable fuel, and the entire exterior of the ships were outfitted with solar panels. We launched the ships into orbit, and kept some of the vampires on Earth in an underground research facility for the purpose of rehabilitating the nuclear-bomb destroyed Earth. We've been up here for 4,900 years and counting. My baby's still running as good as new."

The vampire grinned and absentmindedly tapped his foot on the infirmary floor.

Castiel sat back, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "So you're saying that I'm 5,000 years into the future? And Earth's atmosphere has been destroyed?"

"Yep. I'm assuming you're that scientist that Bobby mentioned? How'd you get here?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

Castiel nodded. "Yes. I didn't think the machine could transport humans… All we could get to go through it were insects and inanimate objects. It was an accident…"

"Well, I guess you're just going to have to stay here," Dean said. "We have all of the United States government's classified files in our archive deck. I'll take you down there and we can see if we can find your notes and sketches about your machine."

Castiel shook his head. "I was supposed to put down all of my research data from the paper copies, but that was the night I transported myself here. I began typing it, but then I fell asleep on the keyboard and created 40,000 pages of random letters. It was completely gone."

"Damn. Well then, I guess you can build it back from the beginning." the vampire shrugged. "Not exactly. I have a photographic memory, so I could probably recreate the latest version of the machine. However, it's not capable of traveling to the past."

"The government was at least smart about that bit," Bobby said. "They didn't want to test out the theory of the space-time continuum."

"Whatever that means, it must be pretty bad," Dean said. He turned to Castiel, who was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

"What?"

"You said that 5,000 years ago you could see 5,000 years into the future. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm doing the correct math, you're at least 10,000 years old."

"You're not wrong. I was the second vampire in existence. I…have a different appearance than normal vampires. My father was the first, and he looked like a complete demon. I look somewhat like one, but I have a thing about showing it to people."

"It's annoying as hell. It's always me that has to prove to random children that I really am a vampire," Bobby said. "The damn captain of this ship won't even do it, so it's always me or Sam."

"Why doesn't Sam look like a demon as well?" Castiel inquired.

"He wasn't directly turned by my dad. Sam was... away when Dad was turned and lost control."

"Wait, you said that you were the oldest. What happened to your father?"

"John killed himself," Bobby said. "Damn shame too. He realized what he had done the split second after Dean was fully turned and it was too late. He jumped into a volcano. Dean was 20 when he was turned, and Sam was 15. Dean showed admirable control and held off on turning his brother until he insisted 5 years after Dean was turned. Then, because of Dean's second generation blood, he lost control and turned me and the rest of his family. Dean calmed him down, but we were all turned by then. When we complained about being kept as vampires, they said it was for the best, which was true, because our family doesn't exactly like being separated. Then, some of Dean's friends he turned started turning other people, and the vampire council was born."

"So everyone but Dean looks normal? Or, normal enough?"

"Do you just want me to show you? It might be a bit scary," Bobby said.

Castiel scoffed. "I'm a scientist. I don't really get scared of much."

"Okay. Here goes." Bobby turned away from Castiel, breathing deeply. When he turned around, Castiel gasped.

There wasn't much different about Bobby's face, but his eyes had changed from brown to a deep, blood-colored red. There were fangs poking out from his lip. Castiel stared at him until he turned back, eyes brown and canines back to their normal length.

The vampire turned to Dean. "I think that's the most boring reaction I've ever had," Bobby said.

Dean grinned.

"So you drink blood?" Castiel asked. Dean and Bobby nodded.

"Yeah," Dean said. "We have humans who volunteer to become feeders. Now, you seem to be interested in how the whole damn ship works, so how about I give you a tour?" "I'd like that very much. Can I meet your brother and everyone else as well?"

"You're gonna meet the whole crew, Cas. I'm not looking into the future right now, but I know you're going to be here for a while."

"One more question, Dean. Who exactly runs this thing?" Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Have you heard nothing I've told you? I'm the ship's captain. I'm the boss."

"He just sits in the fancy chair and pretends he knows how to fly the Impala. The person who really keeps her running is Sammy. He's our mechanic," Bobby said. "A damn good one, too."

"Lovely," Castiel said. "I can't wait to meet him."

"He can't wait to meet you, apparently. I got a buzz from him. News travels fast on this ship," Bobby said.

He helped Cas stand up and handed him a pile of clothes. Bobby pulled the curtain around so Castiel could have some privacy. When he was done, Dean grinned.

"We're gonna start out with Sammy. By the way, how tall are you?"

"Six foot," the scientist informed him. Dean laughed. "That's great. Have fun looking up at my brother. He's a goddamn moose, I swear. The only person who calls him that is our ship's cook, Crowley, but I can understand the reasoning."

"Okay," Castiel said as Dean led him out of the infirmary. He brought Cas to a large balcony overlooking an even larger room. It must have been at least a mile wide and ten miles long. The scientist gasped loudly and Dean grinned, sweeping his arms out to the whole room. "Welcome to the Impala."


	3. The Impala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has a ship. It's rather large. Balthazar, Sammy, Gabriel, Crowley, Ellen, Jo, and Dean's scarred middle finger make an appearance. All in all, it's a rather long day for Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter! Sorry I didn't upload all of them last night, but I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I've got a huge music thing going on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so I'll try and post as much as I can today and tomorrow. Maybe if the hotel has good wifi, I can post another few chapters but I'm staying with a kind of religious girl and she might not look upon my smexy space vampires too kindly. We'll just have to see!

"Holy…" Castiel said, looking at the massive room. "How long is it?"

"Ten miles long and a mile wide. There's 3 of these rooms throughout this deck, and there are three more big decks. The top deck is smaller. We had to fit a billion people each, so there's about 300 million in on each deck, 100 million in each room. Everyone has living quarters on the sides of the rooms, and then the crew has living quarters on the top deck where the control room is. You'll be up there on the control room floor with me, Sammy, Bobby, and everyone else. Do you want to go meet the moose?" Dean asked.

"Sure," Castiel said, still wowed by the size of the room. It would take forever to get across it, but it seemed Dean and the builders had thought of that. There were wide moving walkways to transport people. There was a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a field of turf. A large, open-roofed kitchen stood on one end of the room, and next to it was a bathhouse. A large screen covered half of the wall on the other side of the room, and the time and date were projected onto it, along with a map of the ship.

"Hey, if you're done staring, we should go now. Sam gets all bitchy if I'm late for anything."

Castiel nodded, smiling. "You must really love your brother."

Dean grinned. "He's a real bitch sometimes, but yeah. Let's go."

They headed back into the infirmary. Bobby waved at Dean and Castiel, and Cas waved back. Dean gave a 'sup' head nod, and Bobby shook his head. Cas laughed as he followed Dean into a small rectangular room.

"Where are we?" Castiel asked. Dean smirked and tapped the wall. A small rectangular panel popped out and he pushed a few buttons.

"This is one of the ship's teleportation chambers. You might feel a slight tingly sensation." With that, the vampire dissolved into a beam of light. Castiel looked down at his hands and gasped. They were turning into light. He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again to see the vampire looking at him, grinning.

"How was that?" Dean asked. "We've learned a few new tricks in the past 5,000 years."

"Was that ionized demolecularization at the speed of light?"

Dean looked astonished. "I remember Sam saying something to that extent, yes."

Cas nodded. "I thought so. I'd like to speak to your brother."

"Okay. We're actually on the top crew deck, since I told everyone that you were here. They all want to meet the mysterious new arrival. Sam was the first one who wanted to meet you, but he must have told the rest of the crew. Saves me some work, I guess. Follow me, they're just up here."

"Dean! I can hear you talking to him, now bring him in here!" a woman's voice sounded through the hallway. Dean grimaced.

"That'll be Ellen," the vampire said. "Hold on a minute, old lady!"

"You're one to call me old, Mr. Ten Millennia!" Ellen replied.

"You're only five years younger than me as a vampire, Ellen," Dean said, annoyed. Castiel smiled.

"I think I like her," the scientist said. Dean shook his head and led Cas into the room. Immediately, everyone in the room stood and smiled at the scientist.

"Hello!" A tall, skinny man with long hair wearing a plaid shirt made his way over to Castiel and Dean. He took Cas's hand into his own large one and shook it excitedly. "I'm Sam Winchester. I'm a huge fan of your work."

"Thank you," Cas said. "I'm Castiel Novak."

"Nice to meet you!" Sam said. "How exactly did you manage to transport things forward in time?"

"Ionized demolecularization at the speed of light. It's the same concept as your teleporter, but there's a slightly different bit in the formula. I might need your help with it, as I need to get myself back to my own time."

"U-uh, sure!" Sam seemed a little bewildered, but he changed to annoyance when another person shoved him out of the way.

"Hello, Castiel! I'm Ellen, Dean's aunt. I'm the one that was yelling at his dumb ass a minute ago. This," she pulled a little blonde out from behind her who smiled and waved, "is my daughter Jo."

"Nice to meet you both," Castiel said.

"You don't seem to be too shocked by these events," Sam said.

Castiel shrugged. "I'm a scientist. I have learned to accept that the theoretical may indeed be real."

"That's a really good mindset for someone who's not supposed to have one," Sam said.

"Hey, are all you tall people going to get out of my way so I can meet the damn guy?" A small, bearded man pushed his way through the crowd of people, glancing up at Sam. "Get out of my way, ya damn moose."

Sam frowned and stepped back so the man could walk up to Cas. He stood there for a minute, sizing the scientist up. He held out a hand. "I'm Crowley, the ship's cook and correspondent with  _The Avenger_. Pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you," Castiel said, shaking Crowley's hand. The Englishman grinned for a quick second before letting go of Cas's hand and turning around, slapping Sam in the side and shoving past him.

Dean laughed, and Sam stuck his tongue out at him. "Jerk."

"Bitch," Dean replied. Cas smiled at the strange exchange, but was interrupted by a new person coming to greet him.

"Hello! My name is Gabriel. I'm the ship's captain."

"What?" Dean asked. Gabriel turned to him and grinned.

"What what?"

"You just fly my baby. I built her, I launched her, and I can kick your ass."

"Fine," Gabriel said, crossing his arms. "I  **fly** the  _Impala_. Nice to meet you."

A loud noise suddenly permeated the room. Dean groaned. "Damn it. That's  _The Avenger_ 's ringtone."

He pressed a button and a large screen extended up out of the floor. A face appeared on the screen. It was a man, sitting in a large chair.

"Balthazar!" Crowley yelled. "How've you been?"

"Wonderful, Crowley. Dean, I have heard news of your new arrival." Dean glared at Crowley, who shrugged.

"Yeah, he's right here. What do you want?"

"I'd like to speak to him. I have heard certain words that he has knowledge regarding time travel technology."

"I'm not going to share it with you. I don't even know how it works myself," Castiel said, pushing past Dean to stand in front of the screen. "You see, my assistants and I stumbled on the technology for forwards time travel even before we knew how it worked. We figured out that we could send insects through, but not even mice could be passed through. I don't know exactly how I was able to transport myself 5,000 years into the future, as we had never tried to send anything beyond mice before. And I also do not know how to send anything back in time, if you were planning to go back and change the past to avoid this reality. We were prohibited by the government to do anything that even resembled research into going back in time, as the government did not want to disrupt the then-theorized time-space continuum."

Balthazar looked a little surprised, but he quickly recovered. "So you are saying that you do not know how to send yourself back to your own time?"

"That is exactly what I am saying, Balthazar. I do not know how to send myself or anyone else back in time. Even if I did, the time-space continuum would indeed be disrupted."

"That is still theoretical," the vampire said. Castiel shook his head.

"It's not. I caught a glimpse of the wormhole I traveled through. It was a long tunnel of ever-changing matter. If someone were to…throw a wrench into that matter, the flow of time would forever be changed. There would be no way to prevent it, as time would try to keep anything like that from happening again. All of the events in the past would follow the ripple effect. If you stepped on a butterfly in the past, you could very well have killed Picasso's inspiration. If you tried to alter something else, time would take notice to it. Time would make sure that it never happened again, altering the history of the world so that people never found out that time travel was possible."

Balthazar seemed to be considering this. Dean's mouth was wide open, not comprehending anything. Sam's mouth was open as well.

"You just figured out in an hour what humanity has been trying to for years," Sam said.

Balthazar smiled. "Very well. I will expect updates on the theories you will most likely continue to prove.  _Avenger_  will be happy to contribute anything out of their archive."

Castiel nodded his head. "Thank you. Was there anything else you would like to say?"

"That is all.  _Avenger_  out." The screen turned to black, and Castiel turned around. Everyone was still staring at him open-mouthed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"Time-space continuum. Think of it as a small pond. If you lightly touch the water, nothing will happen. If you throw a rock in, there will be a few ripples. If you jump in, the water's flow will be disrupted. That is time-space continuum. If you went back in time and did not come into contact with anyone, that would be the light touch. If you talked to William Shakespeare about how famous his plays would turn out to be, that would be the rock. If you killed John Wilkes Booth before he shot Abraham Lincoln, that would be the person jumping in. Even small things have an effect on the continuous motion of time."

"So you're saying that if we went back, all of this would be prevented?" Sam asked.

"Yes. No one would have any memory of it, except for the vampires who had been looking into the future, as they would see the future before it happened."

"So if you could go back, you could prevent the nuclear war?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Castiel said matter-of-factly. Everyone stared at him.

"I am a scientist. I observe things in the natural order that they happen. If I were to interrupt the flow of time, I couldn't live with myself."

"Seems fair enough. Do you want to go see the engine room?" Sam asked. Castiel nodded.

"Yes. That would be nice."

"Ah-ah, not so fast, Sammy. I need to talk to him," Dean said. Sam frowned.

"Why do you get to talk to him?"

"I need to explain things to him," Dean said. "And I'm the captain. I get priority."

Gabriel cleared his throat loudly, and Dean rolled his eyes. "I built her, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Gabriel said. "Take your pet scientist and have a nice little talk."

Dean led Castiel out of the room, flipping Gabriel the bird.

"Oh, I do love that finger. He shows it to me so often. Did you know he has a scar…" Gabriel's voice trailed off as Cas and Dean headed down the hallway.

"I want to show you where you'll be living," Dean said.

"Lead the way," Castiel replied.

 

 


	4. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winchester backstory galore. Castiel finds out why Sammoose goes a little loco when he smells blood, and why Dean won't reveal his true self. 
> 
> Also, Impala engine!!!

Dean led Castiel down the hallway silently. The scientist closely observed everything around him, trying to figure out what the interior of the ship was made with.

"It's a strong titanium alloy with bits of gold added in, to prevent decay."

Castiel startled when the vampire talked.

"Oh, that makes sense," he said, recovering quickly from the surprise.

"Pretty genius of my brother, huh? Here's your room," Dean said, pushing a button on the wall. A panel slid away and the vampire walked into the room, followed by Castiel. "It's right next to mine, so if you need anything, I'm a knock or a telecom away. Now, I need to talk to you about the crew."

Castiel glanced at the room. It was sparsely decorated, the largest items in the room being the bed, a large king-sized one, and a dresser. "What's there to talk about?"

"Well," Dean said, sitting on the bed. Castiel joined him. "It's mostly just about Sam. There's something you need to know about him."

"Yes?" Castiel asked.

"He has a sort of…disease, you could say. It's a side-effect of being turned by me. Basically, if he smells even a drop of fresh human blood, he loses control. I'm the only one who can stop him if he does. The thing is, only the crew know about his condition. All of the humans on the ship don't. I don't let him anywhere near the infirmary, and he's only allowed to drink bagged blood."

"Then who turned your family? If you turned them, then they'd have the same disease."

"That's exactly what turned them. The disease. They came from the neighboring village five years after Dad turned to check up on us. The road between the two was treacherous, so they only allowed people to travel it every five years. That was about the time that Sam convinced me to turn him. I was in a tent with him, waiting for a sign that the transformation had gone through, when his eyes snapped open.

"They were red, like mine were when I transformed, but there was something wrong. He growled and ran out of the tent. Ellen had cut herself while skinning a rabbit, and he was on her in an instant. If you drain a human of their blood completely and give them a small amount of your blood, you can turn them. Sam's lips were cut repeatedly by his fangs, so his blood flowed into her as he drained her. Then, he attacked Jo. Bobby came out and tried to get him off of her, but then Sam got Bobby, too. I was only able to stop him by throwing hot coals on his face. By then, he had killed the whole village. Ellen, Jo, and Bobby were all going through the change, but the rest of the people hadn't been so lucky," Dean said. Castiel was listening intently, obviously wanting to hear the rest of the story.

"I took my family to a large cave nearby and collected some of the villager's blood in water-proof baskets. Then, I sealed the entrance to the cave with a boulder I knew no one but me could lift. By then, Sam had regained his mind, and he was on a massive guilt trip. When Bobby, Jo, and Ellen woke up, we gave them enough blood to sustain them until I went out to get some more. We lived in the cave for fifteen years before I was sure that Ellen, Jo, and Bobby didn't have Sam's condition. Then, I took them out and we've been traveling ever since. Sam has built up a resistance to his condition, but if he sees someone cut themselves and smells the blood, he's a goner."

"So how do you get the bagged blood?"

"The vampires on this ship feed off of volunteers. Some of the volunteers who aren't old enough or are too old, we draw blood from them. That's used to sustain Sam and anyone else who isn't good at resisting human blood."

"So what about you?"

"I haven't drank fresh human blood in a long time, Cas. The others can drink from people without scaring them, but me… My transformation is a bit...stranger than the average vampire's. I look completely different when I change."

"What do you look like?" Castiel asked. Dean sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing you want to see. Think of all the illustrations of demons and there you go. It's not entirely accurate, but it'll do. Now, I'd better take you down to the ship's mechanical room. Sam wants you to look at the engine. Oh, and by the way," the vampire said, taking out a small device. He placed it in Castiel's hand. "This is a telecom. It goes in your ear and stays there. They're waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower. It's how we keep in contact with the rest of the ship. All you have to do is think of the person you want to talk to, say their name out loud, and it'll read your brain waves and connect you with the person."

"That's fascinating. Did Sam invent this too?" the scientist inquired. Dean shook his head.

"No, the Japanese did. They're over on the  _Amaterasu_. They shared the technology with us right before we launched," the vampire said.

"Oh, okay. Can I go look at the engine?"

"Yeah, I'll take you down there. Don't cut yourself on anything or you'll be in some pretty deep shit."

* * *

 

"Cas!" Sam exclaimed, waving his hand. The scientist and Sam's brother had taken the teleporter to the engine room and were currently walking down the hallway.

"Hello, Sam. You told Dean you wanted me to see the engine?"

"Yeah, and I want you to tell me what you think of it. I designed it," Sam said proudly. He turned to his brother. "I know the technical words give you a headache, so if you want to leave, feel free."

"You know me so well, Sasquatch. I'm going to go talk to the  _Amaterasu_  about Cas. If you need me, I'm a telecom away." With that, the vampire left.

"Here she is. My pride and joy," Sam said. He led Castiel to a large balcony overlooking the biggest engine the scientist had ever seen.

"Oh my…wow, Sam. How did you design this?"

"Well, I certainly had a lot of time. Do you like it?"

 _The Impala_ 's engine was a behemoth one, about a mile long and a mile wide. Blue energy crackled in between its receptors, and the massive thing made almost no sound at all.

"It's incredible. I don't think even I could construct something this amazing."

Sam blushed. "Thanks. Hey, why don't I get Crowley to send some food up here and we can talk about your research?"

"That would be nice. I haven't eaten in a while," Cas said. Sam smiled and walked over to the wall, pushing a button. A small chamber opened, big enough for an average-sized dinner plate.

"Hey Crowley? Will you send up a human meal for Cas? He'll take a number 5."

"Alright, ya bloody moose. Always so ungrateful. Can't I get a 'please' once in a while?" came the Englishman's reply. Castiel smiled.

"Please, Crowley." Sam said, obviously annoyed. Cas heard a sigh through the intercom.

"Was that so hard?" Crowley asked. A covered plate shimmered into existence in the chamber and Sam pulled it out and set it on a nearby table. Castiel sat down and uncovered the meal. It was teriyaki chicken, one of his favorite meals. The scientist picked up the fork that was also on the plate and dug in.

"Thanks, Crowley." Grumbles were heard over the intercom, along with something that sounded suspiciously like "Damn moose", but Crowley accepted the thanks and hung up.

Sam came over to sit across from Castiel. The scientist looked up.

"Can I ask you a question?" Castiel asked. Sam shrugged.

"Go ahead."

"What does your brother look like when he transforms? He mentioned something when I first talked to him in the infirmary, and then again just now. Is it really that different from anyone else?"

Sam looked troubled, but he answered anyway. "Well, Dean's got the fangs and the red eyes just like the rest of us. His face becomes sharper, like he was cut from marble or something. He has horns that come out of the top of his head, and he has a tail. He also has wings, big black ones that he can use to fly."

"Is he different because of who turned him?" Castiel inquired. Sam nodded.

"Yeah. Man, you should have seen Dad after he turned. He was possessed by the demon that had killed our mom. I think he was trying to summon it and kill it, but he summoned it into his own body. He didn't even look human. Dean was there when he did the ceremony. I wasn't allowed in the tent, so I just peeked from the bottom. Dad went bat-shit crazy, making these roaring noises. He jumped on Dean and bit him. Dean had the ceremonial knife in his hand and he stabbed Dad in the heart with it right before the change happened. Dad got knocked out just long enough for Dean to escape. Dean looked so scared. Later, Dad regained control over himself just long enough that he became ashamed of what he had done and threw himself into a volcano. Dean stumbled out of the tent, clutching the wound on his neck.

"When he saw me, staring with tears in my eyes, he transformed back and grabbed me. He took me out to the forest and explained what had happened to him as best he could. When I begged him to turn me so I wouldn't die, he refused. Five years later, he finally gave in. He had no idea that turning me would cause my condition. I'm sure he already told you not to cut yourself around me."

"You know your brother really well, don't you?"

Sam smiled at some memory, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. I really do." He winked at Castiel, who cocked his head to the side questioningly. Sam just shook his head and glanced at Castiel's empty plate.

"Well, as you are done with your meal, would you like to go walk around the engine?" Sam asked. "Everything around it is protected by a special kind of glass, so you should be okay."

Cas nodded. "Yes, I'd love that. Will you tell me how you made it?"

Sam nodded, still smiling for whatever reason that had caused him to wink at Cas. "Yeah, I can do that."

 


	5. Adjustment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holo decks, Sam and Dean's real names, visions, first hints of romance, and *spoiler*.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You find out Sam and Dean's full names here! Woo!
> 
> Here are the pronunciations:   
> Sam- "S-am-kn-ah-hee-el"  
> Dean- "De-ahn-fay-ee-say-tey-oh"  
> I can't type with the weird symbols for pronunciation, sorry :/
> 
> Again, I apologize if I don't update soon after the two chapters I'm going to post today. Hotel rooms are not good for writing smut.

It was surprisingly easy for Castiel to fit in on the  _Impala_. Everyone had been fascinated with him in the beginning, the "miracle scientist" and his time-travel adventures. To Castiel it sounded an episode of Doctor Who, but that was just his opinion.

The scientist was happy on the ship, spending lots of time with Sam in the engine room learning of the astounding technology that the Winchester had built from scratch.

"So what was your real name before you became Sam? You lived 5,000 years in the past, which would place you around the time of the Ancient Egyptians," Castiel said. Sam smiled.

" _Samknahiel._ " The younger Winchester laughed at Castiel's awed look. "Dean and I changed it to Sam about a thousand years later when it got too hard to have a long name like that. Dean's is  _Deanpheiceteo_. You don't even want to know what our surname was."

"That's incredible…"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Ellen and Jo have the same long names as well, but theirs are a bit hard to recall. Bobby's is awesome, but I think he'd rather tell it to you himself."

"I look forward to that," Castiel said. "Oh, by the way, I was wondering about how you found me on the surface of Earth. You're pretty far from the surface if you're even in orbit, and it doesn't seem like anyone would be able to drag Dean away from his baby, especially not a lowly human."

Sam sighed. "It all started about a month ago when Dean suddenly had a vision. He saw a dark-haired man stumbling around on the surface of the dead planet, and the man looked very familiar. Dean saw the man die on the surface from oxygen deprivation, and that was the end of his vision. Immediately after that, he drew a rather uncanny picture of you and sent out our recon pods to the surface. The search went on for about three weeks before Dean decided to go down there himself. That was the day we found you.

"A small blip showed up on the ship's life force detector, and Dean was sure it was you. We traveled to the blip and sure enough, there you were. They brought you aboard with the tractor beam and Bobby gave you oxygen. You slept for a while, and we spend a lot of time debating who you were. When you woke up, Dean immediately knew you were the one from his vision. It was kind of creepy, the way he knew exactly what you looked like."

"Hmm." Castiel cocked his head to the side confusedly. "Why would he have a vision of me?"

"I don't know, but saving you has been the best thing that's happened to us in a while. I've never seen anyone tell Balthazar off like that. I'd have been laughing my ass off if I wasn't scared that they'd blast us out of the sky and be done with it," Sam said.

"Balthazar wouldn't do that. He'd risk the wrath of Dean for destroying his baby," Casiel replied, scanning the blueprint in his hand.

"That's true. The  _Impala_  is like Dean's child. He'd never let her go. By the way, speaking of Dean…" Sam trailed off.

"What about Dean?" Castiel asked, setting the blueprint down on the desk in front of him.

"I had a vision about you two last night. I don't normally get visions, that's Dean's specialty, but I got one, and it was intense as hell."

"What did you see?"

"I saw you and Dean," Sam said. "You were in the  _Impala_ 's hologram deck and it was set to this beautiful meadow. There was a picnic basket that had food in it. Dean was smiling, you were smiling, and you were holding hands. It was the strongest vision I've had."

"Dean and I holding hands? That doesn't make sense. He doesn't love me, nor do I love him…"

"I beg to differ," Sam stated firmly, smirking. "I've seen the looks you throw at him, and him at you. Vampires feel emotions more strongly and intensely than humans, Cas. Even though you've only been on the ship for a month or two, Dean's already falling hard. He feels emotions the strongest out of all of us. The question is, do you like him back?"

"That's absurd, Sam. I've never been in love in my life. I couldn't afford to. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to review these blueprints," Castiel said, huffing indignantly and picking up another blueprint.

"I saw something else in my vision, Cas. It was Dean, in this room, on his knees. He had some sort of device in his hands that he threw at the wall. He stood up and turned around, and you know what was happening to him?"

"What?" Castiel asked, trying to concentrate on the blueprint. Curiosity's nimble fingers plucked his concentration away from him, and he turned to see Sam with his head in his hands.

"He was crying tears of blood, Cas. That's how we cry. He looked like his soul had been ripped from his body. Then, he looked down at his hand, the one you were holding in the holo deck. He just stared at it, blood flowing out of his eyes. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen, Cas, and I think it was what's going to happen to him after you leave and go back to your own time." Sam stood up and grabbed Castiel's hand, staring into his eyes meaningfully.

"Dean's never been blooded, Cas. I can't tell you what that is or how it happens, but you're going to be the first to do it. I know you're falling, Cas. I can understand it."

Castiel blushed, looking away from the younger Winchester.

"Sam? Cas? I need you guys to get in the teleporter and come look at this." Dean's voice echoed through the telecom, sounding concerned and urgent.

"Sure thing, Dean," Sam said, grabbing Castiel's hand and leading him down the hall. Just before they got to the teleporter, Sam turned to the scientist and grabbed his shoulders.

"Please, Cas. Save him from that fate. I know you can."

* * *

 

Sam's words echoed in Castiel's mind as they walked to the bridge. The scientist was so distracted that he didn't notice Dean standing in front of him until he ran into his solid chest. Castiel stepped back, a little stunned, and looked up at the vampire.

"You okay, Cas? You seem a little out of it," the vampire said.

"No, I'm fine, Dean. Don't worry about me. What's wrong?"

Dean motioned for Sam and Castiel to follow him. He stopped in front of the big screen and turned to the two men with a grim expression on his face.

"We received a vidcom from our base on the surface. They're supposed to send one each month to tell us how their research is going and any new improvements. Our head scientist, Lucifer, just sent this. I want you to watch it." Dean motioned to Gabriel, who hit a button. The screen came to life, displaying the face of a friendly-looking vampire.

"Hello,  _Impala_. This is Lucifer, reporting. The terraform experiment is going well. We think we'll be able to do a planet-wide transformation in a month or so. I believe-"

Static crowded the screen, garbling the scientist's words and distorting his face. It returned to normal after about a minute, but whatever had caused the static had done its damage.

A loud alarm was blaring in the video, a red light mounted on the wall behind Lucifer flashing wildly. The scientist looked grim, fearful, and he leaned into the camera.

"We dug too deep, Dean. We uncovered something that was never meant to be uncovered. Humans affected by nuclear energy in a way we've never seen before. They're not human anymore,  _Impala_. They're nothing like what they used to be, nor are they like us or any of the other supernaturals. They're stronger than us, faster, and they don't need anything but nuclear energy to survive. They've attacked the base before, but this is the first time they've actually breached it." The scientist looked down at his desk, wiping his forehead on his palm in a surprisingly human gesture.

"We can't stop them, Dean. I can't fight them. So many died trying when we first discovered their faulty bunker. We escaped to the base, but it was only a matter of time before they followed our scent. They're here, Dean, to kill us. This is the last video I will ever send you. I'm smart enough to know that I'm going to die. I'm sending every little bit of information we have on the terraformation and the mutants up to  _Impala_  with this video. This is goodbye, Dean."

A loud thump sounded on the steel door behind Lucifer. The scientist turned around, staring at the door. Another loud sound, and a dent appeared in the thick metal. Lucifer turned back to the camera, a sad smile on his face.

"I need to show you what they look like, so I'll send this video right now. Use the live stream from the base cameras, Dean. You need to know what you're fighting." The scientist pressed a button and the screen turned dark.

"That's not all we received," Dean said, his face unreadable. "We checked the base cameras, like he said. Gabriel, put that tape up."

The vampire nodded and pressed another button. The screen darkened, a black-and-white image of the room Lucifer had been in appearing.

"This is a minute or so before Lucifer sent the video to us. This camera is stationed above his desk. See his head there?" Dean pointed to Lucifer's blonde hair, Sam and Cas nodding.

Then, the door dented, just as it had in the other video. Lucifer turned back to the camera, said goodbye, and pressed the button. He turned the chair around to face the door.

The hinges seemed to blast clean off as the door went flying across to the other end of the room. Something concealed by smoke crept into the room, going toward Lucifer. The man looked up, mouthed a few words, and prepared himself for death. The thing rose out of the smoke and ripped Lucifer's head back by his hair, biting his throat out. It spat the gruesome chunk out and looked around the room. The thing looked up, noticed the camera, and stood to its full height. Castiel gasped.

It was a human, or at least looked like one. The long claws on the end of its fingers and the long, bulbous tail kind of ruined the image, but the thing was still humanoid. It looked at the camera with a murderous expression on its face. Then, the creature did something unquestionably human.

It grabbed Lucifer's chair, dragged it over to below the camera, and stood on the chair, sticking its ugly face into the camera lens. It definitely didn't look human now. It lips were missing, revealing black teeth and gums. The eyes were too far apart to be human, and were big and wide. The thing's nose was almost nonexistent. It stared at the camera for a moment before the black mouth curved in a freakish parody of a smile. The creature hissed towards the camera's microphone, smiling even wider as its mouth opened to utter a single word:

"Die."

 

 


	6. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmastime in the Impala! "Bitch. Jerk.", more Winchester backstory, kisses, Noah's Ark, Crowley's grumpy parrot, Wall-E, Gabriel being his Trickster self, and ALCOHOL *gasp*.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chap. has Christmas in it. I'm a person that hates seeing Christmas stuff out before Thanksgiving, but that's just me.
> 
> Kisses are had by our favorite boys! Don't get mad at me for spoilers, this fic is rated Explicit. Unless I'm a hella kinky author, they're gonna kiss before they *bleep*.
> 
> Enjoy your (possibly) last chapter until Sunday night! Mwah!

"Die," the thing said. Sam and Castiel gasped in unison.

"That's what we're dealing with. With the data from the base, all we've been able to figure out is that they're mostly human. They've been affected by massive amounts of nuclear radiation because their bunker was faulty. They're fast, faster than most vampires, and all have the long claws and tail that the one we just saw had. The entire base is dead. That was one of our fourteen, and the one Lucifer was at was our biggest and most important. Every hope we had for terraforming Earth back to how it was before is clinging by a microscopic strand," Dean said, shaking his head.

"I can do it," Castiel said, recovered from the shock of the mutant's word. "I got a minor in terraformation in college. I thought I was going to be an astronaut before they closed the space program to civilians. That was before the government plucked me out of college after I finished my PhD. Give me the base's research and I should be able to figure out how far they were."

"Wow," Sam said, glancing at Dean. "I guess my brother was right to pick you up off of the surface of the Earth a month ago. Hey, wait. Cas, what day was it when you transported yourself?"

"November fourth," Castiel said. He remained quiet after that, thinking about the mutants.

"Well it's been two months, so isn't tomorrow Christmas?"

"Yeah," Dean said, distracted by Castiel's expression of concentrated thoughtfulness.

"Can we postpone the meeting with the other ships and celebrate, please? It's not like the mutants can get to us, and the closest base to the one they attacked is a thousand miles away. It should take them more than a day. Please?" Sam begged.

"Sammy, stop it with the puppy eyes. You know I can't defend against those," Dean said, trying his best to resist Sam's eyes.

"Come on, Dean! We haven't celebrated it in forever. The rest of the ship does. What do you think, Cas?" Sam turned to the scientist, waiting expectantly for an answer. Castiel stood there, still thinking, before Sam cleared his throat. The scientist looked up, broken out of the trance known as thought.

"Could you repeat the question?" Castiel asked.

"Sure thing. We haven't celebrated Christmas in millennia because we never had time for it. I want to celebrate it, but Dean's being a hardass."

"Bitch," Dean said, glaring at Sam.

"Jerk."

"I've never had time to celebrate Christmas either, Sam. I believe it's a good idea. I don't know where we'll get the tree, though," Castiel said, laughing at the exchange.

"That's easy," Gabriel piped up. He stood and walked over to the three, smiling. "Dean loved the forests on Earth, so he collected some trees."

"Some?" Sam asked, amused. "He singlehandedly picked up three of the oldest redwoods in California, and then the dumbass went and collected two tons of pinecones and seeds from random forests. He planted them and used the Japanese plant growth stimulator, and now he's got a goddamn forest on that deck."

"Hey, don't diss my forest. Remember what you did the day before we launched?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. Sam blushed, Gabriel laughed, and Castiel looked confusedly to all of them.

"Sammy here decided to pull a Noah's ark. He got four of each species of animal and brought them on the ship. It didn't end well," Gabriel explained. "The animals started eating each other. The lions ate the zebras, the alligators got the lions, and the sharks got the alligators. Needless to say, the only ones that survived were the parrots. We give them to the families on the ship as pets."

"That's terrible. Why didn't you put them in separate enclosures?" Cas asked Sam.

"I was so stressed about the launch that my body was all out of whack, if that's even possible for a vampire. That morning I ran into three different walls, tripped on my way out of the house, and almost got my hand eaten by one of the tigers I was going to load on the ship. I just wanted the animals to get onto the  _Impala_ , and I ended up not putting them in separate enclosures. Dean found me fast asleep in the military bunkers a few hours later," Sam said.

"How were you the next day during the launch?" Castiel asked.

"I was fine, actually. I was super hyped up about it. We got into space and I was really happy. And then I got a call from Gabriel that the animals were eating each other, and I became depressed again. Dean cheered me up with the news that the parrots had survived, but I wasn't able to see one of them until nearly a week later. Damn thing called me a moose and then flew away. It was Crowley's parrot," Sam said, glaring at Dean.

The older vampire raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, okay? I thought Crowley's parrot would like you. I was wrong. It was 5,000 years ago, can't you just let go?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Sam asked, laughing at his brother's annoyed face.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Um, hello? Hate to interrupt you guys' quarreling, but we've got a serious problem here. How are we going to get one of those massive trees from the forest deck to this room?" Gabriel asked.

"Gabriel," Sam said with a gleam in his eye. "Do you remember the Patricia incident?"

Gabriel's eyes widened before he leaned his head back and laughed. "I see where you're going with this. I remember Patricia. I'll get on that this instant, but I think you're going to have to take care of the dirty work."

"No problem," Dean said, cracking his knuckles. "It's been a while since I did anything as manly as chop down a tree barehanded."

"You fit the part," Castiel deadpanned. "You  _are_ wearing an awful lot of flannel."

Gabriel laughed. "I like this one, Dean. Keep him."

* * *

 

"So who's Patricia?" Castiel asked Sam. They both were watching Dean repeatedly punch a tree trunk with his bare hands. So far, the tree was about halfway cut through.

"Have you ever seen the antique kid's movie  _Wall-E_?" Sam asked, laughing a little when his brother yelled a war cry and began punching the tree faster than ever before.

"I believe I have," Castiel replied. "They showed it at the laboratory during 'bring your kids to work with you' day."

"I thought your laboratory was a highly classified building. Why would they allow children in there?"

"They don't. However, if you're a high-ranking 5-star general, things tend to lean your way. My boss, the man to whom I had to explain the time-space continuum, brought his kid to work one day because his wife was sick and the daycare had been closed due to a gas leak. One of my assistants had brought the movie in an attempt to cheer me up, and we just put it into the computer used for briefings, sat down in the briefing room, and watched it together. It had an interesting premise."

"Do you remember the humans in  _Wall-E_?" Sam asked.

"Yes. They had become so overweight and dependent on their chairs that they could no longer stand."

"We almost had that problem," Sam said, smiling a bit. "All of the humans on the ship are kept on a strict diet designed by Crowley that prevents them from gaining a lot of weight. They're still thin, even after 5,000 years of space. Anyway, about a hundred years ago, there was this girl named Patricia that was born to a family on the third deck. She, for some reason, had this terrible habit of eating. All she did was eat and eat. Crowley nearly had a mental breakdown when she asked him for her fortieth meal of the day. She also refused to exercise and would not budge from the couch in her apartment except to eat.

"It got to the point where she weighed near to 700 pounds. Dean and I talked to her parents, but they couldn't do anything. Well, one day we lured Patricia to the exercise deck with the promise of a huge buffet. She tried to get out of her apartment, but it took her five minutes just to get out the door. She waddled along the street towards the exercise area, eagerly wanting the food. When she got there and found out that we had falsely lured her there to make her exercise, she threw a fit. She jumped up and down and ended up falling over. Dean and I couldn't do anything, because while we could lift five times her weight with the smallest joint on our pinky fingers, we weren't about to help this girl who wouldn't help us. The only problem was, she was physically incapable of getting back up on her feet."

Castiel was smiling now, and Sam seemed to be holding back a laugh. "She sat there wiggling and trying to right herself, but it wasn't working. Eventually I had to come up with something to pick her back up. As you know, the ship has transporters. Well, even though we didn't need it, Dean had rigged the transporters up to be able to transport anything on the ship from point A to point B. He got the idea from Star Trek, something I won't ever let him hear the end of. Gabriel knew about the system, so I called him and said 'Hey, we have a slight problem on the exercise deck. Think you could beam it to Bobby wherever he is in the infirmary?'"

Sam looked almost pained from holding back a laugh this long, and Castiel was on his knees snorting like an idiot. "Gabriel transported her to the infirmary and Bobby got rid of all of the extra fat on her body. Then, he told her she was an 'idjit' and gave her a strict exercise and diet regimen. Needless to say, Patricia learned her lesson after that. She lived to be ninety five, a pretty good age for someone who was that overweight at a certain point."

"I feel terrible for laughing, but it's funny," Castiel said, gasping for breath.

"Don't worry. Dean and I thought it was funny too. We use the story to scare people who are tipping the scale too much. Speaking of Dean, I think he's done."

Dean was carrying the large pine in one hand. His other hand was pressed to his ear. "Gabriel? Yeah, beam me up, would ya? Don't forget the tree." He disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving Castiel and Sam to take the long way: walking up the hallway to the nearest transporter and going to the bridge.

"Ooh, it's beautiful, Dean-o. Now we just have to decorate it." Gabriel said.

"Leave it to me," Sam said.

"Um, how about no, Sammy. The last time you decorated a Christmas tree, you ended up using air fresheners from some stupid hotel we were staying undercover in," Dean said. Sam pouted and shot him a bitch face, but Dean wouldn't have it. "We have a ton of Christmas stuff in storage, I've just never touched it. Cas and I will go get it while you stay here and trim the tree."

"Stay here and trim the tree…What am I, his personal gardener?" Sam muttered as he walked over to the tree, assessing which branches needed to be cut.

"Come on, Cas. Let's go get some Christmas stuff." Dean motioned for Castiel to follow him into the transporter.

"We haven't been to this area of the ship in a while, so we'll have to take the long way. The ship will take us to the proper deck, but we have to walk our asses down the hallway to the storage room. You okay with that?"

"Yes. I prefer walking to anything else. It calms me down, allows me to think. I'm currently trying to figure out the mutants, but I've been distracted by the holiday spirit, it seems. Your brother is too persuasive for his own good."

Dean laughed. "Yeah, he really is. Our mom died when we were really little, and Dad made me promise to look after Sammy no matter what. He's my little brother, even if he's two inches taller than me. You ready?"

"Yes," Castiel said. Dean input the coordinates and stood back, sighing when the transporter enveloped them in golden light.

"It'll take about five minutes to get where we're going," Dean said. Castiel nodded in acknowledgment.

"Not to pry, but how did your mother die?"

"I can tell you that after you tell me some things about yourself," Dean said, winking at Castiel. "You've heard all about my life, but what about yours? All I've heard is the scientist part."

"My parents and I weren't close. After my mother died, my father went into a drunken stupor. He never ate, just drank beer all the time and stayed in his chair, staring at the TV screen. My older brother Donovan was forced to support the family. After he graduated high school, he fought to adopt us. He won and got me, my sister, and my two little twin brothers into his custody and then went to college to get his business degree. Dad died after I went to college. Donovan and I were the only ones who remembered our mother." Castiel pulled a chain out of his shirt, a large amber pendant hanging from it.

"I've had this my entire life. It was something that Mom gave me when I was a child, and I never really took it off. After I graduated high school, I went to college and got my PhD before the military approached me. Apparently, some test I took as part of a survey for college students had been an IQ test. I had tested out with the highest recorded IQ in fifty years.

"They said they wanted me for a project that only someone as intelligent as me could help with. I wanted to make some money to send home to my grandparents and my mother, so I said yes. I only found out it was a time travel project after I got to the laboratory and there was a DeLorean on the military's patch for that lab. I found out I was researching time travel from that patch. My little sister was a fan of Back to the Future."

"Wow. Your life is a lot more interesting than mine," Dean said.

Castiel snorted. "There's no way."

"Yeah, you're right," Dean admitted, grinning. "Anyway, I owe you the story of how Mom died. When I was five years old and Sammy was six months, we were sleeping in the tent peacefully. All of a sudden, Mom got up and walked out of the tent. Dad was still asleep, but I wasn't. When Mom didn't come back after maybe five minutes, I woke Dad up and told him that Mom had left to go somewhere. He got out of the tent and followed her. About half an hour later, Dad came back brokenhearted. Mom had been looking for a piece of obsidian on the side of the volcano for a new knife blade for Dad, and she had tripped and fallen in. Dad didn't seem affected, but I heard him crying in the tent weeks after it happened. Back then, my people believed everything was connected and that there was a spirit for everything in the mortal world. Dad cursed the volcano spirit, blaming it for what had happened. When he summoned that demon that turned him into a monster, he was under the impression that he was summoning the volcano spirit so he could talk to it. Hey, we're here." Dean pressed a button on a panel next to a large metal door. The door slid open with a hiss and a small creak, protesting the sudden opening after years of being closed.

"They should be in the back right corner of the room. The cryogenic boxes should be labeled 'Christmas' and should all be either green or red," Dean said, heading over to that area, Castiel on his heels.

"Here we are," Cas said, catching sight of a green box. He picked it up and was looking for the word 'Christmas' when the light vanished. A loud clang sounded over by the door.

"Dean?" Castiel called, unable to see in the dark.

"I'm here," Dean said. He, not being entirely human, could see. He grabbed the scientist's hand. "The door closed. I don't know why, but I'll call Gabriel to come get us."

Silence fell like a blanket in the room until Dean groaned. "What?" Castiel asked.

"Stupid Gabriel. He says he can open the door manually and let us out, but he won't do it unless we…do something."

"Do what?"

"Kiss. Stupid guy, I should have called Sammy. Now he's shut off our comms. Gabriel! I know you're tapped in to the cameras in here! Let us out or so help me God, I will rip that door apart," Dean said.

While Dean was busy making threats, Cas felt a flush fill his face. Sam had obviously told Gabriel about Castiel being maybe, slightly… ok, totally in love with Dean. He made a mental note to attempt to murder Sam before the day was out.

"Are the cameras in here night vision?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah. This room's usually kept dark to preserve energy, so the cameras can see in the dark. Gabriel! Open the goddamn door this instant!"

"Maybe… Maybe we should do what he wants, Dean. I mean, it's the Christmas season. He's probably putting mistletoe everywhere around the ship as we speak. Lots of people are going to be forced into kissing each other."

"That is true. He forced Bobby and Crowley to kiss a while back. Wait, you're really serious?" Dean raised his eyebrows before remembering that Castiel couldn't see them.

"Yeah," Castiel said. "I'm serious. Let's just get it over with."

Dean's hands left Castiel's and moved to the scientist's face. He used one to grab Cas's chin and the other slid behind the scientist's head, twining itself in his hair.

"Dean…" Cas said breathily.

"Close your eyes, Cas. I can see you staring at me." The scientist did as told, blushing even more at the husky edge to the vampire's voice.

Their lips met softly in the darkness, not moving, just pressed together. Castiel gasped as Dean pulled him closer, sliding his tongue along Castiel's lower lip and asking for entrance.

Dean smelled like pine trees and rain, and the scent made Castiel dizzy. He noted that the vampire tasted like cool spring water and forest air, and that fact alone made him slide his hand behind Dean's head and pull him closer, letting out a breathy moan when Dean's tongue touched his.

They kissed for perhaps a minute longer before Dean pushed Castiel away. "I…I can't do this. I'm sorry, Cas. Gabriel, you sorry sonofabitch, we kissed! Let us out!"

The door slid open. Dean grabbed all of the Christmas boxes and walked out, leaving Castiel sitting alone on the floor wondering what the hell just happened.

As soon as Dean's footsteps could no longer be heard, Castiel raised a hand to his lips. He could still taste Dean and feel that strong body in his arms. A blush spread across the scientist's face.

"I just kissed a ten thousand year old vampire, didn't I."

"Yup," Gabriel said through Castiel's comms. "You should make a parody of 'I Kissed a Girl'. And don't tell me you didn't like it. You totally did. So, I guess I just revealed to you where I got the nickname of Trickster. I don't know if Dean told you about that. Anyway, I'm sure Sam will want to hear all about the kiss."

Castiel growled, and Gabriel laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell. Aww, Dean-o abandoned you, I see. I'll give you directions to the transporter nearest to you and you can come up to the crew deck. I'll help you and Dean decorate the tree. Come on, get up, stop acting like a schoolgirl. The transporter's out of the room to the right and down the hall.

Gabriel decided that forcing Dean and Castiel to kiss was the best and worst thing he could do. The pair were now terribly awkward around each other, blushing and sneaking little glances when the other wasn't looking. If they made eye contact, their eyes would widen and they'd hastily turn away, pretending to concentrate on decorating the Christmas tree.

However, the little atmosphere of sexual tension was stifling. Sam had dragged Gabriel aside and asked him what the hell had happened about an hour ago, and they'd been suffering in shared silence ever since.

"Great job on trimming the tree, Sammy," Dean said.

"Thanks, Dean. I'm glad you remembered the Christmas decorations."

Dean managed to keep a poker face, choking out a laugh. "Yeah, no problem."

Castiel, however, did not have that much control over his facial features. The blush from earlier that had finally gone away had returned full-force as he recalled the events in the storage closet.

Castiel had decided that he really did like Dean, even though it had just been a month. He hadn't hated the kiss, even though it wasn't under the best circumstances, and he'd somehow managed to admit to himself that he wanted more. Dean was just so… _addicting_. Those bright green eyes, the beautiful (and soft) lips, the blindingly white teeth. And his smiles…

_Yep. I'm in love with him. No doubt about it. I sound like such a lovesick schoolgirl._  Castiel shook his head at himself. He snuck a glance at Dean, admiring that beautiful dirty blond hair. His gaze traveled down the vampire's body, making note of the cute way Dean's legs were bowed.

A snicker sounded from across the tree, and Castiel stared through the branches to see Gabriel giving him a thumbs-up and a wink. He gestured toward Dean and mouthed "you were checking him out and it wasn't subtle at all'.

Castiel felt his face heat up even more as he sputtered and flipped Gabriel the bird.

"Dean, you've been rubbing off on him," Gabriel said, fully aware of the double meaning. "He just flipped me off."

"You probably deserved it," Dean mumbled, aware of the double meaning as well.

Castiel glared at Gabriel and went back to decorating. Gabriel would wink at him whenever they made eye contact, and that just pissed Castiel off even more. Eventually, he ended up chucking an ornament at the vampire after he made a kissy face at him.

The ornament hit Gabriel square in the forehead and lodged there. The vampire seemed shocked for a minute but began to giggle after a little bit. Sam roared with laughter, which caused Dean to look up from his obsessive decorating. That started another round of laughter, and even Castiel let himself laugh. Before long, they were all on the floor wiping tears from their eyes.

"I can't believe it stuck," Cas managed to gasp out. That started another round of giggling.

When the group finally collected themselves, they resumed the decorating. Dean and Castiel weren't as tense as before, but they still snuck glances at each other when they thought Gabriel and Sam weren't looking.

Needless to say, the Moose and the Trickster saw it all.

When the tree was finished, they put the angel on top and sat down. Dean sent Crowley a message asking for eggnog.

"Wait a minute, if all the animals killed each other, where'd you get the eggs?" Castiel asked.

"Crowley brought cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, dogs, and a lot of other livestock aboard the ship when we launched. Because he's the cook, he needed something to cook with. He's kept his little farm all by himself this whole time. It's remarkable, really."

"Alright, here's your eggnog, boys. I put extra rum in yours, Dean," Crowley said over the intercom above the food transporter. Dean grabbed the tray of eggnogs and set them on the small table in front of Sam, Gabriel, and Castiel.

"Crowley serves it as a special during this season to the humans," Sam said to Castiel, who took a sip of the eggnog.

The scientist moaned at the creamy taste of the drink, something he hadn't had in years. The rum only added to the flavor.

Gabriel barely held back a snicker as he saw Dean reaction to the moan that had escaped from Castiel, the older vampire's eyes widening imperceptibly (but not to Gabriel) as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

When they had finished, Gabriel was the first to stand up and stretch. "We need to go to bed, or Santa's not going to come!"

"You really still believe in that crap, Gabe?" Sam asked, laughing.

"No, but I'm tired, and I needed an excuse for us to go to bed," Gabriel replied.

"Ok, ok, we'll go to bed," Dean said. "Come on, Cas. Let's walk to our quarters."

Castiel blushed, but he wished Sam and Gabriel a hurried 'good night, Merry Christmas' before following Dean to the transporter. They walked in silence, transported themselves in silence, and walked in silence again. When they got to their rooms, Castiel had given up hope that Dean would talk to him.

"Hey, uh, Cas?" Dean asked, stopping just outside his room.

"Yes, Dean?" Castiel replied, wondering what Dean was going to say.

"About the kiss…"

"Don't worry about it," Castiel said. "It was Gabriel's fault."

"No, not that. I… I liked it," Dean said, embarrassed.

Castiel's eyes widened, and his feet moved of their own accord. He walked up to Dean and pressed his lips to the vampire's, pulling away after a short eternity.

"Good night, Dean. Merry Christmas," Castiel said, going into his room and closing the door.

Dean walked into his room, sat down on the bed, and sighed.

"Shit."

* * *

 

The next morning, Castiel shuffled onto the crew deck in his pajamas, as per Gabriel's request. Apparently, he and Sam had been talking last night and wanted this to be like an authentic Christmas. So, they'd rudely awoken him this morning to tell him to show up in his pajamas. Castiel had no problem with this, but he wished they'd woken him up later. He'd been up all night thinking about the kiss, and had only managed three hours of sleep.

Gabriel had gone to wake Dean up, leaving Cas and Sam alone by the tree. Castiel was surprised to see that there were a lot of presents under it.

"So, you and my brother, huh?"

"Oh, please. It was Gabriel's fault. Besides, you're the one who wanted us to get together."

"Touche," Sam said. "I surrender for the moment, but only because Gabe's coming back with Dean."

"Okay, let's get this present party started! The other crew members said I could wake them up on pain of death, so I'll just send their presents to them later. Cas, this one's for you," Gabriel said, pushing a box toward the scientist.

He also grabbed Sam and Dean's presents, sliding them over to the vampires. Gabriel grabbed his present and smiled.

"Ok, on the count of three. One, two, three!" All four ripped their presents open and groaned collectively.

Castiel had received a bottle of spiced rum, Dean received a bottle of whiskey, Sam received some schnapps, and Gabriel received vodka.

"I told you we shouldn't have let Crowley be the only one to give us presents," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Sorry," Gabriel said. "You guys can go back to sleep now."

Castiel praised the heavens, wanting nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep for maybe four more hours. He ambled back to his quarters, yawning 2.5 thousand times along the way.

"Merry Christmas, sleepy," Dean said, smirking.

Castiel half-heartedly glared at him before walking into his quarters and shutting the door. Dean stood there smiling for a little while before he went to his quarters as well.

Castiel lumbered over to his bed and collapsed on it, stretching. It felt good to have a Christmas after so long, even if all he'd gotten was alcohol, but there was still the mutant problem. The scientist yawned.  _I'll just work on it whenever I wake up later today._

 


	7. The Archives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping in. Archives. First look at Sammy's "condition". Bedhead. Smug Dean-o. Mutant research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So incredibly sorry for the tardiness of this chapter, y'all. My computer cord was taken away and I wasn't able to update until today. Thanks for your patience and the kudos I've gotten so far!

Castiel awoke later Christmas Day and decided to stay in bed for fifteen more minutes. Fifteen turned to twenty, and twenty to an hour. Eventually, the scientist wasn't sure he could stay awake any longer. He needed to work on the research about the mutants, not sleep the day away. Yawning, he opened the computer on the desk in the small room.

"Let's see… Where's the research from Lucifer's base?" Castiel asked, scrolling through pages of information. He looked through the computer to no avail, unable to locate the files.

"Hey, Sam?" He said into his communicator.

"What's up, Cas? What do you need?" The vampire replied.

"Where's the mutant research? It's not on the computer you gave me the other day. I can't find it anywhere."

"I didn't download it on that computer. It's still in the archives. You're going to have to go down and get it. The only computer it's on is Gabriel's on the crew deck," Sam said.

"Why didn't you download it? I thought you wanted me to do research and try to figure out how to kill them," Castiel said, scrolling through the computer again.

"I do, but there's someone on this ship I don't trust. If they got ahold of the research and gave it to either  _The Avenger_  or  _Amaterasu_  before we had a plan to kill the mutants, there'd be chaos. The archives are only accessible by me and Dean, and Gabriel's computer is encrypted. Only he can read what it says," Sam explained.

"Who don't you trust?" Castiel asked.

"His name's Alastair. If it were up to me, he wouldn't be on this ship, but Balthazar insisted. He's the other correspondent for  _The Avenger_. If it helps you, he's about a thousand times worse than Crowley."

"Seems terrifying."

"Yeah, he's not a nice guy. Balthazar insisted that he be put on the ship, much to Dean and I's chagrin. Crowley may be annoying, but he's a good guy. Alastair's evil," Sam said. "I'll take you down to the archives whenever you want. Just send me a comm."

"I'd like to go now. If I don't get moving and research something, I'm going to fall asleep again," the scientist admitted sheepishly.

Sam laughed. "Sure thing, Cas. I'll come get you right now."

"Thanks," Castiel said. He closed the laptop and stretched, groaning when what felt like fifteen different places on his spine popped. He pulled his pajamas off and replaced them with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that had been in the pile deemed "mysterious clothes that keep appearing in my room". After kissing Dean, Castiel had figured out that the clothes were all from said vampire. They smelled like him, something Castiel would never admit he'd noticed and taken advantage of. He totally wasn't inhaling the scent from the t-shirt deeply. No way.

A knock sounded on the door as Castiel sighed, the mirror revealing the usual gravity-defying state of his black hair. It looked slightly more messy than usual, when he actually managed to make it look presentable. However, Castiel didn't feel like dealing with it this morning. Or afternoon.

Another knock resounded through the room and the scientist sighed. "Coming!" He decided just to pretend like his anti-gravity hair wasn't there. The scientist opened the door to a smiling Dean.

"Dean? I thought…"

"Yeah, Sammy was supposed to come get you. Believe me, I know, but he called me earlier to bitch about how he didn't want to come up here and 'you're right next to him, you take him to the archives. Smaller trip for me.'. Stupid Sammy."

Castiel laughed. "He's lazier than he looks, apparently."

"He really is," Dean said, smiling even wider. "A real couch potato."

"Couch moose," Castiel corrected. Dean grinned.

"So, you ready to go to the library?" The vampire asked, offering his arm. Castiel took it, smiling.

"Sure thing," the scientist replied. "Lead the way, kind sir."

They arrived at the archives shortly after, Dean having recieved an urgent message from Sam, who was apparently already down there. That caused a series of grumbles about "stupid Sammy" and "if he was already going why'd he drag my ass out of bed" that had Castiel giggling. When Dean glared at the scientist, it only made him giggle with more force. Dean sighed, wondering why he'd told Sam he'd deal with the sleep-deprived scientist.

Castiel wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to pull himself together. Dean shook his head, chuckling a little at the sound of the giggles. He and Castiel walked through the door of the archives and lost it again.

Sam was waiting outside the door in all his long-haired glory. He had horribly hilarious bedhead. He looked like a lion, his hair defying gravity in a way that Castiel was oh so used to, with his own annoying hair that wouldn't go down. However, when it was on someone else's head, it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Both he and Dean collapsed on the floor, laughing as hard as they were capable of.

"Oh, shut up, you two. Cas, your hair is worse than mine," Sam said indignantly.

"No," Castiel gasped, still laughing. "Mine isn't that bad. You look like a lion!"

Dean had almost managed to pull himself together, but it was too much. He rolled around on the floor, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm hilarious. Can we get to work now?" Sam asked, trying to go for stern but ending up having to disguise a smile.

Dean and Castiel laughed for a minute longer before they finally pulled themselves together, clearing their throats but still chuckling a bit.

"So, we're not in the actual archives yet," Sam explained to Castiel. "Right now, we're right outside. Only Dean or I's blood can be used to open the door, and then there's another door beyond that only we know how to open. We'll tell you, but you can't get to it without one of us. Dean?"

The older vampire sighed, raising his wrist to his mouth. The unmistakeable sound of flesh tearing made Castiel wince. Dean lowered his wrist to the door, dipped two fingers in the blood, and drew a strange pentagram. The blood began to glow, and the door slid open. Castiel noticed that Dean's blood disappeared right as the door opened all the way.

"Alright, follow me," Sam said, walking forward.

"So who's Alastair?" Castiel whispered to Dean.

"Oh, I guess Sammy told you about him. He's a correspondent for  _The Avenger_ but he doesn't have Crowley's charm. Balthazar insisted, even though I didn't want him over here. He's been trying to get into the archives for years, but Sam and I won't let him. We put the blood lock on the door right after we found him trying to break in 50 years ago. Sam only mentioned two locks, but there are actually three. Alastair may be smart, but he isn't very sneaky. I heard him coming down here while we were laughing. He was listening when Sam was talking about the locks," Dean explained.

"So the first is a blood lock, what about the second?" Castiel asked.

"We're actually there right now," Sam said. "It's a password-encoded door that has a slight twist. Only Dean or I can touch the door to put in the password. Anyone else, a laser comes from the ceiling and will chop their hand off."

Castiel's eyes widened at the statement, but he remained quiet. Sam entered the passcode, and they passed through that door unscathed.

"The third lock is the trickiest one," Dean said. "It's another blood lock that has different requirements. You need my blood and the blood of a human, any human."

"Doesn't that set Sam off?"

Dean smiled sadly. "That's the worst part. That blood lock is the only way to keep the archives secure without putting even more doors and locks. A hundred years ago, it would have set him off, but if you and I are quick and I'm able to heal your wound immediately after we put our blood on the door, he won't be affected."

"We're here," Sam said. He walked over to the corner and sat down with his face against the wall. "Dean is capable of stopping me, Cas, but I could hurt you first. However, in order to get the mutant research, I'll be able to hold back."

"Bite your own arm, Sammy. That'll make you nauseated enough that you'll be able to resist, even if it's just a minute longer," Dean said.

The vampire turned to Castiel and held out a small knife.

"Why don't you just bite my arm instead of me cutting it?" Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side.

Dean shook his head. "Just cut your arm on the count of three." The vampire raised his wrist to his mouth. "One, two, three."

Immediately, Castiel cut his wrist. Dean guided him, and together they smeared their blood on the door. Dean pushed his wrist to Castiel's cut, his blood sealing the wound.

"Are you guys done? I can still smell blood," Sam said, sounding strangely strained and in pain.

Dean looked over at Castiel. "I think your blood is still on the blade."

"I'm not wiping it on my shirt. That's disgusting," Castiel said matter-of-factly.

"Hand it over," Dean said. He took the knife from Castiel and stared at it for a minute.

"Will you please hurry? I don't know how much longer I can hold back," Sam said from the corner.

Dean looked at the knife for a second longer, shrugged, and licked the small stripe of blood off of it. His eyes widened as the taste hit his tongue, and for a minute, Castiel could have sworn he'd seen a flash of red in those emerald eyes.

"Thank you," Sam said as the door opened. He strode into the archives before turning around and raising an eyebrow at Castiel and Dean.

"Are you two going to stand around all day, or are you going to come here?" Dean snapped out of his trance and smiled at Sam.

"Sure thing, Sammy. We're coming." He walked towards his brother, Castiel on his heels.

"Welcome to the archives," Sam said, gesturing around the room. Castiel's eyes widened in awe.

It was a gigantic room with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. On one side, there was a large screen with what could only be a computer operating sytem on the desk below it. The other side was just books, books, and more books. One wall had floor-ceiling bookshelves, and the other wall had small, strange pods on it.

"What you're looking for is on the computer over there," Sam said, gesturing to the screen. Castiel walked over there and was delighted to find that it was a system he was used to.

"Let's see… Mutants…" He murmured, scrolling through the databases on the hard drive. He located the file and let a triumphant smile take over his face, even just for a little while. Dean smiled and began to walk over to him, but Sam's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't bug him while he's working, Dean. He won't be able to concentrate on what he's supposed to be doing if you're over there cracking jokes the whole time. Let's just go hang out over by the books, okay?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Fine."

They went over to the book section and settled in a pair of comfortable chairs. Sam grabbed a copy of  _To Kill A Mockingbird_ , and settled down to read it. Dean amused himself by making paper airplanes of the "Welcome to the  _Impala_!" pamphlets they gave to new families relocating from the other ships. He then proceeded to throw the paper airplanes at Sam, becoming even more amused when the trademark bitch face made an appearance.

Castiel had successfully located the data on the mutants, and was studying it to see if there was a way to kill them. He'd also found Lucifer's journal, and was currently reading it to see if he had written about the mutants at all.

_Entry 1: We succeeded in capturing one of them today. It killed my assistant with its tail and almost took my head off. We knocked it out, finally, and took it back to the lab in order to find out what they're made of. My lab assistants and I were shocked to discover that the thing was originally human, though I had suspected for a while. Its genetic makeup was like nothing we'd ever seen before. It looked like vampire cells, but they had a strange cell wall that looked almost like a virus. We ended up killing the subject, and it was a couple of weeks before we got another one. The lab lost five consecutively before we figured out that the mutants cannot survive in an environment with no radiation. They're so used to it, so used to being exposed, that they can't live without radiation._

_Entry 2: We've discovered a way to kill them. I had the idea to drop a radiation measurement device into the bunker we'd found them in. We discovered that they thrive best when the air and earth are extremely poisoned by radiation. We captured another and stuck it in a room with no radiation at all. It died in under five minutes. My fellow scientists and I began to work on a machine. It was similar to an atomic bomb, but it would nullify any and all radiation in a hundred-mile area. My laboratory will be ready to test a miniature version of this radiation bomb momentarily._

That was it. The rest of the journal was blank. Castiel sighed in disappointment.

"Well, he was working on some kind of radiation nullifying bomb, but the journal just cuts off after that," Castiel said, turning to Dean, who was trying his best to land a paper airplane perfectly on the line of Sam's parted hair. Sam, who was trying his best to read the book in his hands, sighed in annoyance when another failed flight landed over the page of the book he was trying to read.

"That sounds interesting," Dean said, "But I don't know how we'd build it."

"Well, Lucifer apparently had a prototype or at least a work in progress going at the laboratory, so we might not have to build it from scratch. We will have to go to the surface to retrieve it, though."

"We have to get the Council's permission for that. Dean already broke the rules when he was on the surface looking for you," Sam said. "If the Council finds out that we concealed the mutant situation from them… They'd kill us."

"Can't kill me," Dean said smugly. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well, yeah. You're the senior Elder. But they can and will kill Castiel."

"Should we call a meeting to inform the Council of the mutants?" Castiel asked.

Dean sighed. "We should, but I don't want to. Oh well. We'll call them in by hologram and you can explain the situation and the plan to them, Cas."

Castiel nodded. "I can do that. If Gabriel will translate for me, I can just take the information off of his computer."

"Sure," Dean said. He got up out of the chair, snatched Sam's book and set it on a coffee table, and stretched.

"Let's go call a meeting."

 


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings (eww). Sammy wanting to bleach his brain. Blushing Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another! This chapter is really short because I had a bad weekend when I wrote it a year ago, but I'll make up for it and update again before Monday. Sound good ?

Calling the meeting was taking up all of Dean's time, so Sam and Castiel spent all of theirs in the archives. Castiel worked on his speech about the mutant research with Sam's help. Sam knew all of the vampires that were going to be present at the meeting, so he assisted Castiel with word choice to make the vampires believe him.

"They're not going to appreciate you talking there. You're a human that we picked up off of the surface and called our own," Sam said. "They won't want to listen to you at all. Dean will force them to listen, but you need to be compelling enough that they actually pay attention."

"I once gave a speech about time travel to a room of old military men. I made one of them cry with my description of how time works. I think he was drunk," Castiel mused thoughtfully.

"Vamps can't get drunk, Cas. You're out of luck."

"Then help me, Sam. What will they listen to?"

"They're probably just going to ask a lot of questions. You probably don't even need a speech. Just be able to answer all of their questions correctly and they'll listen to you, I promise," Sam said.

"I'm still worried, Sam. What if they don't like me?" Castiel asked, eyes wide. "I know I shouldn't be worried about that, but I can't help it. I'm not nervous to tell them anything, I'm nervous that they'll hate me."

Sam laughed. "Don't worry, Cas. If you got my brother to fall in love with you over the course of a month or two, you can get a room full of millennia-old vampires to like you."

Castiel blushed. "Does he really?"

Sam sighed. "You're being awfully schoolgirlish at the moment, Cas. Yes, he loves you. We went over this already."

"I know, and we kissed, but… It doesn't seem like he actually wants to act on those feelings, Sam," Castiel said, sitting down defeatedly.

"He's scared he'll hurt you, Cas. Dean may put on a tough exterior, but he can't stand to see those close to him get hurt. It nearly rips out his soul every time he's had to stop me in the past. If you haven't already blooded him, and you will, he's afraid he won't be able to resist you. He's afraid of hurting you," Sam explained.

"But I'm fine. I've been in three car crashes and two fires. I was also transported five thousand years into the future. I think I'm capable of taking a beating," Castiel said.

"I don't mean like that, Cas."

"Then how do you mean it?"

Sam sighed again. "Look, I'll just come out and say it. Dean's afraid of hurting you while you're in bed together. Having sex. Ugh, I should not have said that. Now I have a mental image that I'll need a shit-ton of brain bleach to get rid of." While Sam lamented the 'horrifying' images filling his mind, Castiel was blushing harder than he ever had in his entire life.

Dean wanted to have sex with him but was afraid of hurting him?

The longer the scientist though about it, the deeper the blush became. He knew he wanted Dean, body and soul, even though it had only been a month. The fact that Dean wanted him back gave him butterflies in his stomach that hadn't fluttered since Hannah Mills in the eighth grade.

"I can hear you thinking, Cas, and I'm warning you to stop it before you get any bad ideas. Yes, Dean wants to sleep with you. Yes, he loves you. But getting him to admit it will be a thousand times harder than getting a room full of ancient vampires to let you go to the surface to find a radiation bomb that we're not sure even exists."

Castiel sagged, sighing when he remembered that he actually had to convince the vampires to let him go on this crazy mission. "Never mind Dean, do you think I can convince the others to let me get the radiation bomb?"

"You'll be fine, Cas," Sam said, patting the scientist's back reassuredly. "If they heckle or outright deny you, Dean will take care of the rest. I promise. He's pretty scary when he's angry."

Castiel brightened up. "If I fail and they piss him off enough, will he reveal his vampire form?"

Sam shook his head. "No, Cas. Bobby, Ellen, Jo and I are the only ones who've ever seen his real form. He won't reveal it to those other guys. He'll transform for you, though."

"How can I get him to?" Castiel asked, gathering the stuff to take back to his room and memorize.

Sam winked, opening the door to the archives. "Ask nicely."

 


	9. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cussing, sexual references, violence, bigotry, Sabriel (it's incredibly cute) and Destiel (what did you expect?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update this weekend! I slipped and fell while shoveling on Thursday, fell down the stairs on Friday, did housework all-day Saturday, and woke up Sunday with a horrid migraine. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is being published almost exactly a month before my birthday! (January 3rd)!
> 
> Just a trigger warning: there is some homophobic language later down the page, so if that sets you off, be prepared.
> 
> Also, this chapter is 10 freaking pages long because I had a stroke of inspiration before I wrote it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> By the way, everything here is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. If you see a grammatical mistake, a spelling error, or a sentence that drops off and makes no sense, let me know! I'll be sure to fix it for you!

"So, who all is going to be at this meeting, Dean?" Castiel asked the vampire. The scientist, the Winchesters, and Gabriel were on the crew deck, awaiting the members of the meeting.

"From the  _Impala_ , you, me, Sammy, and Gabriel. From  _The Avenger_ , Balthazar, Anna, Michael, and Alastair. We got lucky with the Amaterasu. They're sending Kevin and his mom and that's it."

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "Who's Kevin?"

"Smartest vampire I've ever met," Sam supplied helpfully from the corner of the room, putting down the 500-page book he'd been reading for close to an hour and was close to finishing it. "He looks like a teenager, but he's really 6,000 years old. Speaking of that, don't let the outward appearances of any of these guys throw you off. A lot of them are older than you'd think."

"Yes, Sammy, thanks for that information. Cas, just tell them what you go into that room to tell them and don't say anything more. They'll try to interrogate you, coerce you into revealing information about the time travel. All you need to do is convince them to let you and a team of vamps go to the surface and get that radiation bomb," Dean warned.

"They're some pretty nasty sons of bitches," Gabriel said from his seat in front of the computer. "A bunch of homophobic dickbags who like their vampirism just because it means they can make the supposedly 'lesser' humans obey. Not that it actually works anymore, but they still have the mindset."

"Gabriel, shut up," Dean replied,

The pilot raised his arms in mocking surrender. "What? I can't supply my own poetic warning to the hero about to go off to war?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "It would be in your best interests to shut up now."

"Or what, Dean-o?" Gabriel asked.

"Or so help me God I will call Balthazar this instant and tell him to bring Kali to the meeting." Dean watched with satisfaction as Gabriel's face paled considerably.

"Kali?" Castiel asked, watching the exchange with confused amusement.

"Kali's a girl over on  _The Avenger_  that was in an on/off relationship with Gabriel for... How many years was it?" Dean asked.

"Three hundred and seventy three," Gabriel reminded him glumly. "And then she dumped me once and for all. I've moved on to someone else, but they don't love me back." The pilot cast a wistful glance in the oblivious moose's direction.

Castiel's eyebrows raised. "You like…" The scientist turned to Dean, eyes wide, before asking quietly, "And you're okay with this?"

"It's better than Kali," Dean admitted. "But Gabriel, if you even dare hurt him…"

Gabriel waved the threat away with a nonchalant movement of his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I should expect imminent painful and extremely meticulous bodily harm. Trust me, it's been 5,000 years. I think I get it by now."

"Get what?" Sam asked, pulling his nose out of the book.

"Nothing, Sammy," Dean said, still glaring at Gabriel threateningly.

The pilot's expression turned from wary to gleeful before he turned his chair in Sam's direction. "Watch this, Dean-o. Hey, Moose?"

"What?" Sam asked, nose back in the book.

"Go on a date with me sometime?" Gabriel asked, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Castiel had to surpress a snort at the slideshow of emotions that crossed Sam's face. First, shock. Then, relief as he assumed he had heard wrong. Shock again when he saw the looks on the faces of the others in the room that most decidedly proved he hadn't heard wrong. Last but not least was embarrassment that crept like a pink curtain up his neck and to his face.

"W-What?" Sam sputtered. Dean and Castiel both had to bite their lips to keep from laughing at the gleeful expression on Gabriel's face.

"Are you teasing me?" Sam demanded.

"No, honey. I'm lonely, in love, and tired of being single. Therefore, I asked you out on a date. Capiche?" Gabriel asked, enjoying the conversation (and Sam's blushing face) entirely too much for his own good.

"In love? What?!" Sam, book forgotten, had risen up out of the chair to stare at Gabriel like he'd grown a mustache and was holding a tray full of purple-polka-dotted kielbasa sausages.

Gabriel sighed. "Honestly, Sammy, it's taken you five thousand years to figure it out? You've got a nice big moose brain, I'd expect you to be less dense."

"You're in love…with me," Sam restated, still trying to process the conversation.

"Yes! He gets it, five millennia in the making!" Gabriel said triumphantly.

Castiel and Dean couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, the strain of holding the laughter back finally getting to them. They only laughed harder when a blushing Sam grudgingly agreed to go on a date with the grinning pilot of the  _Impala_.

"You two," Sam added as an afterthought, "need to shut the hell up."

"We didn't say anything," Dean managed to choke out between laughs. Castiel was completely out of commission, rolling around on the floor and clutching his sides.

"Hey, let them laugh," Gabriel said, wrapping his arms around Sam's waist and pulling the taller vampire into his lap. Dean and Castiel giggled at the expression on Sam's face that could only be described as horrified embarrassment. He looked less like a moose and more like a tomato. "I finally got you. I'm happy."

Sam detached the pilot from his waist. Standing, he blushed and muttered something about waiting in the meeting room. Sam grabbed his book and hid his face behind his hair, still blushing tomato red, before walking out the door and into the meeting room.

Gabriel grinned even harder. "Let's see him recover from that."

"Okay, you're a dickbag, and I hate you for creeping on my little brother. However, I think that's the reddest I've ever seen him, and I'm loving it," Dean said, finally catching his breath. Castiel sat up, catching his breath as well.

"I'm just glad he didn't decide to gut me," Gabriel said. "That wouldn't have been pleasant."

"It would have been fun to watch, but you're the only pilot I got," Dean admitted. "I'd hate to lose you, especially for such a stupid reason as embarrassing my brother."

"But did you see his face?" Gabriel asked, laughing. "He was so shocked that he turned into a tomato. I can't wait for the date itself. He might go from tomato to fireball, and then we'll all be in trouble. That big moose brain of his might explode, and then we'll all be..." He trailed off, shuddering. " _Educated._ "

Castiel, fully recovered from the laughing, smiled at the joke. He was happy for Sam, but the whole romance thing was reminding him of something he didn't really want to worry about at the moment.

The scientist knew Dean was in love with him. It was obvious in the way he smiled at Castiel before reaching out a hand to pull him onto his feet. The problem was getting the stubborn vampire to admit his feelings, and Sam had been right.

It would be harder than convincing some old vampires to let him go to the desolate Earth to find a possibly nonexistent bomb.

Castiel stared into Dean's eyes, searching the emerald depths for something. Dean took the look in stride, returning it to Castiel's cerulean eyes without a second thought.

 _Do you love me?_  Castiel wanted to ask.  _I love you, Dean. I'm not afraid of you._

But Dean's eyes revealed nothing, so Castiel kept staring, hoping he'd find something there.

A beep sounded from Gabriel's computer, interrupting the congregation of green and blue. "Hey, lovebirds, if you're quite done, the members of the meeting are ready to be beamed over here."

Castiel blushed at the lovebird comment, but he managed to expel the offending flush from his face before the people he was supposed to talk to showed up.

One by one, they appeared on the ship in a halo of golden light. Castiel was surprised to find that Balthazar was only a couple of inches taller than him.

"Hello, Castiel. We meet again, I see. You're much more presentable in person," Balthazar said, a light that could only be wry amusement shining in his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, too, Balthazar," Castiel replied dryly.

"Balthazar?" Dean asked. To an untrained human ear, it would seem polite. But Castiel (and the others in the room) knew Dean too well to not understand the unspoken threat.

"Don't worry, Dean, I won't steal him from you," Balthazar said, sauntering into the meeting room.

The three other vampires from  _The Avenger_ followed him. Castiel assumed the redhead with the slightly murderous expression on her face was Anna. Michael could only be the dark, broody brunette. Alastair was already in the meeting room with the  _Impala's_ people.

"Hey! You must be Castiel. I'm Kevin." A teenage (or not-so-teenage) boy walked up to Castiel. "I'm the representative from the  _Amaterasu_. Dean, Mom couldn't make it. She's busy dealing with a human crisis over on our ship, so she sent me by myself."

"That's probably a good thing," Dean said, smiling. He turned to Castiel. "Kevin's mom is probably the only other person besides Ellen, Bobby, and Sam that is capable of scaring the bejeesus out of me."

"Mom's a badass," Kevin said. "She scares everyone, Dean. You're not the only one. Oh, by the way. Castiel?"

The scientist turned to look at the vampire questioningly. Kevin reached out, pressed a finger to Castiel's nose, and said, "Boop."

Castiel's head cocked to the side in confusion. "What…?"

"It's a habit of mine," Kevin explained. "I do that to everyone I meet for the first time that I deem as 'acceptably awesome'."

Dean smiled at the confused look on Castiel's face. "Let's get this meeting underway, Kevin. Cas? You ready to convince them?"

Castiel nodded determinedly. "Yes, Dean."

The scientist followed a grinning Kevin and a smiling Dean towards the meeting room. Kevin and Dean entered, but Castiel lagged behind. He stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and followed Dean's inviting arm into the room.

The meeting got off to a good start in Castiel's opinion. The vampires began talking about the human crisis that Kevin had mentioned his mother was dealing with. The scientist wasn't consulted about any part of the meeting, so he sat quietly while the vampires talked it out.

"So, Dean, what's the real reason you summoned us?" Balthazar asked, a smirk on his face. "You weren't very clear about the purpose when you summoned us, just that all the important Elders had to come over to  _Impala_  for a meeting."

"We got correspondence from Lucifer, Balthazar," Dean said.

"Lucifer? Why is that important? You get correspondence from him all the time," Anna said. "He's your scientist."

"This was different. Gabriel?" Dean signaled for the pilot to start the video. The lights in the room dimmed and a screen not unlike the one on the crew deck came down from the ceiling. The vampires and Castiel all turned to look at it as the bulb began flickering and the image of Lucifer at his desk appeared.

The vampires sitting around the table watched Lucifer's video journal entry with no comments at all. When the video ended, Dean said, "There's more." He signaled to Gabriel again, the pilot finding the surveillance video and clicking on it with a grim look on his face.

Castiel had seen it at least ten times, sometimes to see if there were any clues about the radiation bomb, other times to study the anatomy of the mutant. No matter how many times he'd watched it, the sight of the mutant ripping Lucifer's throat out made him turn away and hope the vampire went quickly.

When the video was over, the lights brightened and Dean stood up, hands on the table in a gesture that meant business.

"So, any questions?" He asked.

"What the hell was that thing?" Anna shrieked. She moved to stand but was held back by Balthazar's restricting hand.

"Cas? Can you explain the situation to them?" Dean asked. Castiel nodded and moved to the front of the room.

"What you just saw used to be human. Five thousand years of constant exposure to nuclear radiation and inbreeding has mutated it into something that is not unlike a vampire. From what I've been able to gather from Lucifer's research, they're faster and a little bit stronger than vampires. Their only weakness that was discovered was that they can't be without the nuclear radiation on the surface for more than ten minutes. Lucifer's team figured this out after the ones they captured kept dying," Castiel explained.

"Okay, I understand the threat, but they're down on the surface. Why should we care?" Alastair said, sneering.

"Because they're going to destroy the other laboratories," Balthazar said. "Stand down and let the man speak, Alastair."

"Thank you, Balthazar. Now, Lucifer and his assistants designed an explosive, similar to an atomic bomb, that would neutralize all of the radiation in a 100-mile radius. If we managed to get all the mutants together, we could kill them all at once," Castiel informed the vampires.

"How are you planning to build the bomb?" Kevin asked.

"I'm not going to build it. I found evidence in Lucifer's journal that they'd already built a prototype."

"You're going to go to the surface?" Balthazar asked. "That's suicide!"

"Maybe. But if it means saving the only hope you have of returning to Earth without worrying about radiation, then I'm going to do it," Castiel said determinedly.

"What do you mean?" Kevin inquired.

"Lucifer also had research about terraformation. I believe with enough time, you could launch a full-planet terraformation that would effectively get rid of all the radiation and restore the earth to its state before humans ever touched it," Castiel said. "However, we have to get rid of the mutants so we can implant the necessary electrodes in the planet's surface. I studied terraformation in college, and there can't be any interference or it won't work."

"So who are you taking to the surface with you?" Kevin asked.

"I was hoping for a small team of vampires. They need to be trained to fight and willing to go to the surface. All I need is maybe three or four," Castiel said.

"I can arrange that," Dean said. "I have some guys that want to go to the surface."

"I'll also need one of the ships you rescued me in, Dean. I doubt I could make it to the surface without one of them." Castiel quirked a smile at the vampire. Dean returned it.

"It sounds like a well-formed, if suicidal, plan, but what are you going to do when you get the bomb?" Kevin asked.

"I'm going to bring it back to the ship and make some modifications. As soon as I'm done, we can try and get the mutants all together and blast the hell out of them."

"How will you get them to gather?" Balthazar asked.

"I think they feel a predatory urge to kill vampires. It's probably due to the fact that the humans were exposed to vampires when you guys revealed yourselves to humanity. I think that they felt threatened by you and that carried over.

"If we can get to the base, those vampires will serve as bait. They can go down to the concrete attack bunker that I found on the blueprints and wait there while the mutants flood the base. Then, I'll drop the bomb. It won't actually explode in the usual sense, it'll just release a massive pulse wave that will eradicate any radioactive atoms in the vicinity," Castiel explained.

"It's settled, then," Balthazar said.

Anna stood. "This is insanity. You're letting this…this..human, of all things, lead this mission?! Have you forgotten what you are? We're not meant to associate with our food, Balthazar, much less let it endanger the peaceful life we're living up here."

The entire room held their breath as Balthazar slowly turned to the redhead. "Anael Milton, if you ever speak like that again, I will personally open the airlock and toss your ignorant arse out of this ship. I only keep you with me because you're barely useful. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to step this far out of line."

Michael, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. "I think it's a good idea to have Castiel go on this mission. He's smarter than all of us put together. Except, perhaps, Kevin."

"Yeah, but I've had six thousand years to accumulate my knowledge. How old are you, anyway, Cas?" Kevin asked.

Castiel blushed. "27…"

"And you already know this much?" Kevin gaped in disbelief.

"I graduated high school at a very young age and went to college. I got my PhD before the military approached me. I'd been working in that laboratory for quite a while before I time-traveled here," Castiel informed him, still blushing.

"Cas, I can take care of the transport ship," Sam spoke from the other side of the room. He'd been sitting and blushing steadily for the entirety of the meeting so far, but seemed to have regained his voice. "I'll get one fuelled up and ready for atmospheric entry."

"Like I said, I can take care of the crew. Balthazar and Kevin, I need you guys to keep the hype about this down. Try to keep what you can from your guys until we know the radiation bomb exists. We can't have vamps gunning to go to the surface only to find out that it hasn't been built," Dean informed the two. Kevin and Balthazar nodded.

"Alright, meeting adjourned. I'll talk to you all right before Cas leaves for the surface," Dean said. The vampires all stood and walked out of the room. Castiel walked out second to last, hoping to talk to Dean. He was stopped by a pale hand on his shoulder.

"Don't think for one second that I trust you just because you're Dean Winchester's blood whore," Anna hissed, pushing Castiel up against the wall. "You're still just a harmless piece of food in my opinion. You may have won Balthazar and Michael, but I can still get them to distrust you." She pulled her hand back for a slap.

Castiel closed his eyes, preparing for the impact that never came. Cracking one eye open, he was shocked to see Dean holding Anna up against the opposite wall.

"Do. Not. Touch. Him," Dean said, every word a threat. "Balthazar may find you useful, but I don't. Gabriel!"

* * *

The pilot, still sitting at his chair in the meeting room, smirked. "I was waiting for this."

* * *

 Golden light enveloped Anna and she disappeared. Castiel looked around for her, confused, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up at the window overlooking the stars and gasped. Anna was flailing around in the vacuum, her red hair floating around her head like a bloody halo. She kept scrambling, her mouth opening and closing in panic, until the cold took hold of her limbs and she died, shock still frozen on her face.

Michael and Balthazar both sighed in unison. "Finally."

Castiel looked over at Dean, shocked. He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, breathing slowly. Castiel walked over to him and stood in front of him.

"Dean?" He asked. The vampire's eyes shot open and Castiel gasped.

That beautiful emerald green was gone, replaced by a glowing, blood-colored red. Red and blue battled as the vampire and the scientist stared at each other. Dean was the first to look away, lowering his head ashamedly. Castiel raised a hand to Dean's cheek and softly pulled the vampire's face up to look at him.

"You didn't need to do that, but I'm grateful," Castiel said.

"She called you a blood whore, Cas. I heard that and I just lost control, I'm sorry, I…" Dean trailed off as Castiel pulled him into a hug.

"Don't be sorry, Dean," Balthazar said from the other side of the room. "She was a bitch. I would have gotten rid of her myself, but I'd probably get in trouble with the Council on  _Avenger_. I'm just glad someone finally got rid of her."

Dean made to pull away from Castiel, but the scientist held fast. "Dean," he whispered quietly, knowing only the vampire could hear him.

"What, Cas?" Dean asked.

"Thank you," the scientist said, and planted a feather-light kiss on the vampire's lips.

Only then did Castiel let go of a startled Dean. The vampire stayed frozen in place while Castiel wished the visitors goodbye. Balthazar recalled Alastair back to the  _Avenger_ , much to everyone's delight. Kevin booped Castiel on the nose again and the laughing scientist returned the favor. It was only when everyone was gone that Dean moved again.

"Sam?" Castiel asked. "What's a blood whore?"

Gabriel, Sam, and Dean all visibly cringed at the sound of the phrase. "It's a very derogatory term, Cas. Anna had no right to call you that," Sam replied.

"What does it mean?" Castiel asked.

"Should we tell him, Sammy?" Gabriel asked.

"Why the hell not," Sam said. "He'll hear it again anyway. Cas, vampires have been around for a very long time. They've always needed to feed off of humans. Well, back when it was just my family and I, the feeding process was always terribly painful for humans. Dean hated the fact that the people he had no choice but to feed from were always pained. So, he visited a powerful witch that my family had known for years. The witch cast a spell that would make the feeding painless and distract the human from it. However, there were…side effects."

"What side effects?" Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Our saliva causes an endorphin rush," Gabriel continued for Sam. "When we bite a human, our bodies release a chemical into our saliva that makes the process bearable for humans. However, it becomes a bit too bearable."

"It causes humans to feel sexual pleasure," Sam said. "It's like an aphrodisiac for them. That witch had a romantic side, always did, and wanted the human to get something out of the feeding, too. So he put that stupid chemical in our saliva."

"If we bite other vampires, they can feel it, but humans feel it a lot stronger. It's why most vampires drink blood out of bags. If it's a vampire-human bonded pair, then we allow them to drink straight from their partner, but the regular vampires have to drink from blood bags," Gabriel continued. "The chemical makes feeding a lot more intimate."

"A blood whore is someone who has sex with a vampire while the vampire is feeding from them. It's not uncommon among bonded pairs, but the term implies someone who does it with multiple vampires, not their mate," Sam said. "Anna using that term implied that you were doing…that with Dean. That's why he lost control and attacked her. We've strictly forbidden the term be used on any of the ships, but it's spoken in dark rooms and abandoned school hallways anyway. She crossed a line, Cas."

Castiel stood, shocked by this information. He glanced over at Dean. The vampire's eyes were still red and he seemed to be visibly bristling. Castiel walked over to him and enveloped him in another hug. "It's okay, Dean."

"No, Cas, it's not. She called you something worse than a slut, worse than whore. How can this be okay?" Dean asked angrily.

"Dean, it may be hard to believe, but I've been called much worse. I wasn't exactly popular in high school."

Dean chuckled a little at that. "That still doesn't excuse what she called you, Cas."

"It's fine, Dean. She's gone. There's nothing to worry about. Now, are we going to start getting this mission off the ground?" Castiel asked, looking into Dean's now-emerald eyes. The vampire sighed, unable to resist those beautiful blue eyes.

"Sure, Cas. Let's go."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the term "blood whore" from Vampire Academy, one of my favorite vampire romance book series'. They're by Rachel Mead, read them if you get the chance! (and don't watch the movie. It sucked. Horribly.)


	10. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panicky Sam, helpful Castiel, Sabriel date! Smut alert!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabriel fluffiness! And there is smut in this chapter, my first smut in this fanfiction--not the last though ;D  
> Enjoy your shameless porn (and a smidgen of plot and fluff).  
> Also, tomato moose!  
> By the way, the smut in this chapter isn't as explicit as the Destiel smut that's going to be in the later chapters, but it's still pretty graphic. Read at your own risk!  
> Un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own!

Sam was seriously regretting agreeing to go on a date with Gabriel. He'd spent the last hour pacing his quarters, muttering to himself. When he got tired of that, he laid down on the bed and was now staring at the ceiling, long brown hair surrounding his head.

The big question on his mind wasn't what he should wear or what he should say. He didn't know either of them, but neither were as important as what he was trying to decide now.

Should he call Dean for advice or Castiel?

Dean would tease him nonstop for calling his big brother like a little 16-year-old girl panicking about her first date. Castiel was most likely a virgin and probably didn't know a thing about dates.

So, Sam couldn't decide whether he wanted the probable stuttering of the scientist or the teasing from his brother that would probably fade out but return full-force a few centuries from now.

Castiel it was. He wouldn't tease Sam or tell Dean…probably. Sam sighed, resolutely deciding he wouldn't think about this anymore. Standing, he left his quarters and padded to Castiel's.

"Hey Cas?" He asked, knocking on the door.

"Yes, Sam?" The scientist replied. The door slid open to reveal a rather frazzled-looking Sam. Castiel leaned on the doorframe, caught between concern and amusement.

"Can you help me with something?" Sam asked, embarrassed.

"Is this about your date with Gabriel? What do you need help with?" Castiel asked, concern winning the battle—for now.

"Yeah, it's about my date. I don't know what to wear or what to say or—oh god, Cas, what if I fuck it up?" Sam seemed to be panicking. Castiel reached out and put a comforting hand on the large vampire's arm.

"It's okay, Sam. Take me back to your quarters and I'll help you pick an outfit."

Sam quietly led Castiel to his room, sitting on the bed only after the scientist insisted that he not get in the way. Castiel rummaged around in Sam's closet, returning triumphantly with a gray t-shirt and a light blue button-up. He tossed the shirts to Sam before returning to the clothes. A couple minutes later, he returned triumphantly brandishing a pair of nice-ish jeans.

"You want me to go casual?" Sam asked, confused.

"Oh, I forgot. Gabriel wasn't going to tell you, but you're having dinner on the Observation Deck. It's just going to be the two of you. Crowley's going to send some special vampire food up, whatever that means," Castiel said. He waved the shirts in front of Sam, raising an eyebrow and completing his 'get dressed or else' expression.

Sam reluctantly put on the shirts and slid on the pants while Castiel rummaged around in his closet some more. The scientist returned from the unknown with a hairbrush in his hands. He turned toward Sam, holding a hand up to stop the protests he knew were about to erupt from the moose's mouth.

"You look almost as bad as that time that you had bedhead, Sam. Your hair is everywhere. I can take care of it," Castiel said. He moved over to Sam and started pulling the brush gently through the vampire's hair.

* * *

 

Sam walked nervously toward the door to the Observation Deck, swallowing unnecessarily. He took a deep breath, remembering Castiel's surprisingly helpful advice. Sam blushed slightly as he remembered one specific part of the advice.

_"Now, Sam," Castiel said, blushing a little, "I'm sure you understand how gay sex works. But just in case, I want to remind you that lube is your friend. And listen to Gabriel. He'll be the one in control for most of it, I'd expect, so paying attention to his reactions might prove useful."_

When he'd had his predicament about who to go to for help, Sam had falsely assumed that the scientist didn't have any experience in the dating area, but he ended up being unexpectedly knowledgeable.

Sam opened the door to find a grinning Gabriel sitting at a table. "Hey-o, Moose! I was wondering when you'd show up."

Sam smiled nervously, shutting the door behind himself and going over to sit across from Gabriel. The shorter vampire's eyes widened as he looked Sam over. "Wow, you look good. You smell like Castiel, though. Did you ask him for help with your outfit?"

Sam had to laugh at that. "It was either that or have Dean tease me for the next three centuries."

Gabriel winced, knowing that the older Winchester would most definitely do that. " I feel ya there, Sam. So, you up for food?"

Sam nodded and sat in silence while Gabriel ordered their food from Crowley. There were a few less-than-savory words from the eloquently-tongued chef, but the food was sent up to them a few minutes later.

"I think Crowley has the most extensive vocabulary of anyone on this ship," Gabriel said.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, he does. He's had, what was it, 7,000 years to accumulate his knowledge? Besides, he was born and raised in Scotland. Frankly, I'm surprised his language isn't as bad as it could be."

"Amen to that," Gabriel said, raising his glass of synthetic blood. Sam raised his and lightly knocked it against the other vampire's glass. They ate their meals, exchanging small talk. When they were done, Sam leaned back, stretching lightly.

"So why did you ask me on this date, Gabriel? I know you said in the Crew Deck before the meeting that you loved me, but you're the infamous Trickster. You're not gonna dump a bucket of gelatin on me, are you?" Sam asked warily, glancing up and around himself.

Gabriel looked a little hurt, but he covered it up with a grin. "What do you think, Moosey? Do I love you?"

Sam looked back at the vampire. "I think you do, but I don't know. Do you?"

Gabriel's grin turned into a wistful smile. "Yes, Sam. I love you."

Sam, former confidence forgotten, blushed. Gabriel smiled.  _Fireball status, here we come!_ , he thought gleefully.

"I…I don't know what to say," Sam said, blushing even harder.

"You could say that you love me back, but that's fine. You don't need to," Gabriel said gently. "I can stand to wait for you. I've waited for almost 5,000 years anyway."

Sam looked up, surprised. "You've been in love with me that long?"

"Almost that long," Gabriel corrected. "Maybe...4,700, give or take that one period where Kali and I were on/off? And even a little bit then, actually."

"Did Dean know before you asked me out?" Sam asked, blushing even harder.

"Yeah. He was there when I broke up with Kali once and for all. I told her I loved someone else. He wouldn't let me off until I told him who it was. When I told Dean that it was you, he was surprisingly accepting. The only thing he did was tease me for about fifty years, but he got over it and reluctantly agreed that I could have you," Gabriel replied, smiling a little at the memory.

Sam stared at his hands on the table, shifting nervously. He felt like a total and complete dense idiot for not realizing that Gabe loved him sooner.

Gabriel recognized the look on Sam's face and stood up, going to stand behind Sam. He grabbed one of the moose's hands off of the table and folded it between his own.

"Sam, listen to me." Sam turned around to look at Gabriel who was standing in front of him. With Sam sitting and Gabriel standing, the Trickster was finally taller than the moose.

"There was no way you would have ever figured it out. It took all my tricks, but I managed to hide it from you this long. The other day before the meeting, I was just tired of hiding. I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but I just wanted you to know how I feel about you," Gabriel said.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not uncomfortable, Gabriel. I just want to know why you didn't tell me sooner."

"I was afraid, Sam. Afraid of you rejecting me, afraid of Dean hurting me in unimaginably horrible and painful ways if I broke your heart." Sam smiled at that.

"So anyway, you can go back to your quarters now. I just wanted a chance to eat with you and get my feelings out there," Gabriel said. "Talking with you today made me happier than I've been in years."

He made a move to stand and remove his hands from Sam's, but he was stopped when Sam's other hand wrapped around his. Gabriel looked down at Sam, who stood and rose to his full height.

"I never actually told you to leave, Gabriel. And I didn't say I wanted to, either," Sam stated. He smiled at Gabriel, who returned the smile a little hesitantly. The shape of his smile didn't matter in the next second, however, when Sam leaned down and pressed their lips together.

* * *

 

Now this is a story, all about how

There's gonna be smut right here and now

So I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there

I'll tell y'all how you can get the hell out of here

Smut alert! Don't like it, get the hell out of dodge. Don't worry, this will end the chapter, so you can just close out if you don't like it. If you leave hate just for the sake of leaving hate, I will sic Crowley and his Scottish cuss words after you. It's not fun. Trust me. Anyway, if you want to see Sabriel smut, keep scrolling. If you're here for the plot, A. You probably shouldn't be reading this story and B. Just close out here and now.

Anyway, my loyal fangirls (and fanboys, I don't judge), enjoy this smut. I worked hard (haha pun) on it.

(side note I was listening to I Want to Know What Love Is while writing this and I am not ashamed at all)

 

* * *

 Gabriel groaned and reached up to put his arms around Sam. It was a bit hard due to the height difference, but he did it somehow. Sam laughed into the kiss and leaned down farther so Gabriel could get a better grip on his back. Gabriel groaned again when Sam's tongue slid across his lower lip, silently asking for entrance. Gabriel granted it willingly, opening his mouth and laughing when Sam's hold on him trembled a bit.

"Want to move this to the couch?" Gabriel asked, somehow finding the willpower to pull himself away from that absolutely  _addictive_  mouth to ask the question.

"Maybe," Sam said. He pulled Gabriel back to him and backed the smaller vampire up, pushing him onto the couch as soon as they reached it.

Gabriel giggled a little bit at the sight of Sam trying to arrange himself on the couch as to fit comfortably, but he soon forgot his amusement when their lips met again. One of Sam's hands settled itself on the armrest that Gabriel's head was resting on, and the other was currently doing some  _very_  nice things to Gabriel's stomach. Sam wasn't trying to move the kiss along, Gabriel could tell, but he sure wanted to. It was obvious in the hard lines of his body that he was trying to hold back.

"Sam?" Gabriel managed between kisses.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, sliding his hand up under Gabriel's shirt.

"If you don't move this along, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

Sam looked down at Gabriel, amusement in his eyes. "Oh really? And what makes you think you could take me?"

"Well," Gabriel said, using his vampire strength to flip them over so that Sam's head was on the armrest and Gabriel was straddling his waist, "the fact that I could so easily do that, for one." He leaned back in and kissed Sam again, slowly unbuttoning the dress shirt that Castiel had picked out for him.

Sam laughed. "You do realize I let you do that? I could have us right back where we were in about .6 seconds."

"I know," Gabriel said, smiling into the kiss.

Sam made a noise of approval and pulled Gabriel's t-shirt off, chucking it into some remote corner of the room. Gabriel did the same to Sam's shirt, both taking a moment to stare at the other. Gabriel caressed the tattoo on Sam's left pectoral. "When'd you get this?"

"It was custom in our tribe that when a boy reached age 16, he was considered a man. They gave the man a tattoo wherever he wanted it and whatever pattern he wanted it. I chose the same design that Dean did when he was 16, but he was out of the village when I got mine. He ran away after Dad turned him."

"Fascinating story, Moose. Can we get back to making out now?" Sam's laugh was muffled when Gabriel leaned down and kissed him again, sliding his hands up and down Sam's sides.

Sam returned the gesture, scratching lightly down Gabriel's back and loving the shiver he got from the smaller vampire.

"As much as I like this," Sam said, exerting a very large amount of willpower to ignore Gabriel's hands for a minute, "I don't think we should be doing this on a couch."

"As much as I don't want to stop," Gabriel said, continuing his hand movements on Sam's sides, "I agree with you. Let's go to my quarters."

They both got up off of the couch and walked out of the room, retrieving their shirts. It took almost ten minutes to make it to Gabriel's quarters because they couldn't keep their hands or mouths to themselves for very long and had shared random kisses in the hallway. Sam had pushed Gabriel up against the wall of the teleporter and kissed the life out of the smaller vampire. They had ended up scarring one of the minor crew members who was minding her own business on Gabriel's floor, waiting for the teleporter to quit glowing so she could step inside it.

Finally, finally, they made it to Gabriel's room. Gabriel had just enough time to close the door before Sam tackled him onto the bed and started ravishing his mouth again. Gabriel eagerly accepted the kiss, wrapping his arms around Sam's back and scratching his nails down Sam's back. The taller vampire shuddered lightly before moving his hand from Gabriel's stomach to lightly brush over the bulge in the smaller vampire's pants. Gabriel moaned, arching at the touch, but Sam wasn't going to let him have anything. As soon as Sam heard the moan, he moved his hand over to Gabriel's hip.

"Sam Winchester, you are a fucking tease," Gabriel growled into the kiss. He wiggled his body around until he could wrap his legs around Sam's hip before lightly grinding up onto him. "But lucky for you," Gabriel added with a smirk before pulling his hips back to the bed, "so am I."

Sam growled, pushing his hips down into Gabriel's. Both men moaned as their still-clothed erections made contact.

"Why are we still wearing pants?" Gabriel managed to say between kisses and moans.

"I don't know, but let's get rid of them." Sam broke the kiss, smirking at Gabriel. He lightly bit and kissed down the smaller vampire's neck, moving his hands down to Gabriel's hip. The pilot moaned when Sam's teeth brushed against his nipple, and he grabbed onto Sam's long hair.

"Easy, Gabe. We're not even to the good part yet." Sam stayed on his path, kissing down Gabriel's chest and abdomen before lightly kissing right above Gabriel's pants.

The pilot gasped as Sam started undoing his pants  _with his teeth_. Where was the blushing fireball of a moose from earlier? Gabriel knew Sam wasn't a virgin; he'd been around for almost 10,000 years. He had to have had some action along the way, but Gabriel had never seen him with anyone in the 5,000 years the  _Impala_ had been in the air. Where had he learned this?

Gabriel's pants were unceremoniously yanked off and thrown into some corner, but the vampire was past caring. Sam was doing something absolutely  _wonderful_  with his mouth that made him never want to care again. Soon Gabriel's boxers joined the party of clothes strewn across the floor, and Sam leaned back to look at his new lover in all his glory.

"You're wearing too many clothes," Gabriel commented helpfully. Sam laughed and shed his pants and boxers, throwing them off the bed and ravishing Gabriel's mouth again. Both vampires moaned into the kiss when their now naked arousals brushed each other.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Gabriel?" Sam asked, concern in his eyes.

"Kid, I've been waiting  _centuries_  for this. I'm not gonna stop now," Gabriel replied. "What we need is in the nightstand to your right."

Sam reached into the drawer, fingers closing around a bottle of lube. He popped the cap and spread some on his fingers, deciding not to comment on the fact that it was half-empty. He dragged his hands down Gabriel's body, briefly stroking his erection before moving to Gabriel's entrance.

Gabriel had decided that this was possibly the best decision of his life, and he was loving every minute of what Sam's fingers were doing. He moaned when two became three and the trio was rubbing against his prostate. A small whimper of loss escaped him when Sam's fingers were pulled back, but he knew he had to lose them in order for the next part of this to happen.

Sam rubbed the remaining lube onto his arousal before situating himself between Gabriel's legs.

"Are you ready?" The taller vampire asked.

Gabriel spread his legs, a smirk on his face. "Bring it, Moose. I've been ready for five thousand years."

Sam growled and pounced on him.

 _Yeah,_  Gabriel thought.  _Best. Idea. Ever._

And then he was incapable of anything but screaming Sam's name to the stars surrounding them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you all think? Leave some kudos, comment, and subscribe, please!


	11. Before the Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel is limping due to the events of the previous chapter. Sammy blushes. Castiel meets his team for the mission. Dean sleeps in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while! I meant to upload 3 or 4 chapters Christmas day as a present but I was so busy with everything and wasn't really feeling well that day. 
> 
> I'm really sorry that this is so late. To make up for it, I'll post 3 or 4 chapters today. Or at least up to my cliffhanger chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

Castiel knew his dating advice had helped as soon as he saw Sam the next morning. The scientist was sitting in the crew deck, thinking about the mission when the happy couple walked in. Both of them were radiating with happiness and a certain glow that Castiel knew to be the standard 'We got laid hahaha' look. That and Gabriel winced every time he took a step.

_ Yep _ , Castiel thought. _They definitely slept together last night._

"Hey Cas!" Sam waved, walking over to the scientist, followed by Gabriel.

"Hello, Sam. I take it your date last night went well?" Castiel asked with no small amount of amusement in his voice.

Sam blushed while Gabriel just smirked. "It went very well, Cas. Did you know Sam can do this thing with his mouth that-"

"Okay, that's enough," Castiel laughed, putting his hands over his ears. "Do you know what time the Earth mission team is supposed to be here to meet me? Dean's still asleep, apparently, and I don't want to wake him up."

"I think they were supposed to be here at 9," Sam said. "What time is it right now?"

Castiel glanced at the large screen. "8:50."

"They'll be here, Cas," Sam reassured him. "Don't worry."

As if on cue, the computer over by the front viewing window started beeping with a transport notification. Gabriel hobbled over to it and pressed the button to accept the incoming team. Castiel smirked at the tell-tale way he walked.

Sam noticed the smirk and blushed. "I didn't mean to make him limp…"

Castiel laughed. "No one ever does. I'm glad for you two, even if seeing the looks you throw at each other makes me want to steal Dean's brain bleach."

Their conversation was interrupted by a small group of vampires walking into the room. Castiel stood up to meet them, Sam following suit.

"Hello," Cas said, extending his hand. "My name is Castiel. I'll be the leader of the mission. It's nice to meet you. And you are?"

The lead vampire, a tall woman with black hair, smiled and took his hand. "Pamela. I'm the medic."

Castiel smiled in greeting and moved to the next vampire. "And you?"

"Lisa. I'm a good friend of Dean's. I'll be the scout." The tall vampire shook Castiel's hand readily.

The last vampire in the group, a tall black man, scoffed in annoyance when Castiel held out his hand. "I won't touch a filthy human. My name is Uriel. I'll be the one helping you get this hypothetical bomb of yours onto the transport."

Castiel was taken aback by the vampire's hostility, but he soon snapped out of it when Dean walked into the room. "Pam! What's up!"

Pamela smiled at the older vampire. "I'm on Cas's team. What's up with you?"

"Just woke up." Dean glanced over at Sam, who looked suspiciously happy for it to be before ten in the morning. He then glanced at Gabriel, who was smirking knowingly.

"Oh thank god," Dean said. "You two finally screwed. I was beginning to think I'd have to lock you in a room together."

Sam once again achieved fireball status while Gabriel just smirked wider. The amused atmosphere in the room shattered, however, when Uriel sneered, "Oh, wonderful. Your disgrace of a blood-crazed brother is a disgusting fag?"

Dean was on him in an instant. "Chuckles, unless you want your nonexistent nuts ripped off, you'll shut the fuck up about Sammy."

Uriel didn't seem scared at the display, but he backed off. "So, what exactly are we doing on this mission? I received a short briefing from Michael, so I know the basic details, but I've yet to hear anything intricate."

"We're going to Earth to retrieve a radiation bomb that will kill the mutant threat," Castiel explained to the frowning vampire.

"I know that," Pamela said. "Lisa and I got the same briefing. Is that all we're doing?"

"Yeah," Dean replied. "It's just a visit. You'll get there, find the bomb, put it on the ship, and fly out of there. In and out, no stops. There won't be any mutants on the base. We've been scanning it every ten minutes to make sure there's no heat signatures. So far, the base has been cold as ice, so I don't think they're returning. They have no reason to."

"That's a good a briefing as any," Pamela said. "We'll head back to _The Avenger_ and let Michael know the mission plan. Do we have blueprints of the base?"

"Yes," Castiel said. "We'll give them to you a couple days before the mission so you can memorize them."

"Perfect," Lisa said. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Castiel. We'll see you again in a week when we leave for Earth."

The three walked out of the room and into the teleporter area, leaving the Winchesters, Gabriel, and Castiel to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"Pamela and Lisa seem nice, but Uriel…" Castiel trailed off.

"He's a bigoted asshole. He thinks of humans as nothing but food, but he's a damn good shot. I think Michael put him on the mission to force him to tolerate humans," Sam said.

"I'm kind of nervous about the mission," Castiel admitted.

"Don't be," Dean replied. "There are no mutants in the base and all of the ones we've picked up are at least twenty miles out. You'll be perfectly safe."

Castiel nodded, but he had a sinking suspicion in his stomach that the mission wouldn't go as smoothly as they planned. Shaking it off, he turned to Gabriel and Sam. "I'm very happy for you two."

Gabriel smiled, pulling Sam closer to him. "I'm glad I got him. Silly oblivious moose," he said affectionately.

"Hey, Castiel!" The scientist turned to look at the source of the voice.

"Ellen! Jo! What are you guys doing here?" Sam asked.

"We're crew, dumbass. We're allowed on the crew deck, aren't we?" Ellen asked, sitting in a chair. Jo sat next to her, sliding a hand through her hair.

"I heard you're going on a mission to Earth, Castiel," Jo said.

"Yes, I am. How did you hear?"

"Bobby," Jo replied. "He and Mom have a thing. She hears a ton of stuff from him."

Ellen blushed slightly. "Be quiet, Joanna Beth."

Jo smiled, closing her mouth obediently. She knew better to keep speaking when her full name was used.

Castiel grinned, seeing the mother-daughter exchange. Being from a family that practically ignored each other except at dinner, he didn't ever have the chance to experience any kind of family love, except from his siblings.

"Well, we've got to all to prepare for the mission," Dean said. "Can you two tell Bobby that I need the thing we talked about?"

Ellen nodded. "Sure thing, Dean."

Castiel watched the conversation curiously, wondering what they were talking about. Ellen got out of the chair, gesturing for Jo to follow her.

"We'll tell him. You guys get ready," Jo said.

They exited the room, leaving Sam, Dean, Gabriel, and Castiel in silence.

"Well," Gabriel said. "I need to get the coding for the transport communications up. You all go back to your rooms and do whatever you do."

Castiel got up out of the chair and headed to his room, muttering a goodbye to the vampires. He got into the transporter and headed to his room, closing the door and flopping onto the bed. _What was Dean talking about when he told Ellen to tell Bobby about_ 'the thing' _?_

Turning over on his side, the scientist shook all of the thoughts out of his head. A headache was starting to form, so he closed his eyes and relaxed, trying to fall asleep to get rid of it. He dozed of to thoughts of green eyes and freckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos, comments, and follow this story! I've currently got a Destiel oneshot I'm working on, so I'll upload that soon. Happy New Year!!!
> 
> Also my birthday is in 4 days, so can my present be more subscribers on this story? Pretty please? Haha I'm just kidding, it's okay if I don't get any. I know this story will get popular someday!
> 
> I love you all! Please keep reading! *sends virtual hugs to all my followers*


	12. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission! Finally!
> 
> Castiel goes to earth. His team is awesome. Mutants show up. Castiel is badass. Cliffhanger!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 14 pages.
> 
> That is how much I love you.
> 
> By the way, the shuttles look kind of like penne pasta, or the puddle jumpers from Stargate: Atlantis. Just google either of those and you'll know what I'm talking about.
> 
> Enjoy!

Castiel took a nervous breath, staring at the ceiling in his quarters. Today was the day, the day he'd go to Earth and retrieve a bomb even he wasn't sure existed. The scientist rolled over onto his side, exhaling loudly.

"I don't even know if I can do this…"

A knock sounded from the door of his quarters. "Cas? Wake up. You're departing in a couple hours," Sam said.

Castiel hadn't slept at all last night, so he just stood up, got dressed, and walked out the door to a waiting Sam.

"Nervous?" The tall vampire asked.

Castiel chuckled. "Yes, very. Is Dean on the crew deck waiting for us?"

"No, he's working with Bobby right now," Sam said, stepping into the teleporter and hitting the button for the crew deck. 

"With Bobby? Will he be here for the departure?" Castiel asked when they arrived. He and Dean hadn't had the chance to be close since Dean had thrown Anna out into the vacuum of space. They hadn't been alone, and Castiel was beginning to have, as cheesy as it sounded, some serious Dean withdrawal.

"No," Sam said. "He told me he couldn't make it."

Castiel frowned, a little angry that Dean wasn't going to see him off. He decided to take the thoughts out of his mind by asking Sam what Dean and Bobby were working on.

"It's top secret," Sam admitted, smiling at Gabriel when they walked onto the crew deck. "He hasn't even told me."

Castiel shrugged and looked around the deck. "Ellen? Jo? Crowley? Why are you all here?"

Jo smiled and walked over to the scientist, hugging him. "We like you, Cas. Why wouldn't we come to see you off for the Earth mission?"

Castiel grinned, returning the hug. Jo let go, kissing the scientist lightly on the cheek. Castiel walked forward into Ellen's arms, hugging her. When she let go, Castiel and Crowley shared a look.

"I'm not huggin' ya, Cas. Good luck. That's all I'll tell ya." Castiel grinned at the uncharacteristic softness of the usually gruff vampire.

"We need to suit you up, Cas," Gabriel said, getting up out of his chair and looking the scientist up and down. "You should fit into the standard suit."

"Suit?" Castiel asked, a little uncomfortable under the vampire's gaze.

"Yeah. Do you remember anything about the surface where you were before Dean picked you up?" Sam asked.

"I remember not being able to breathe," Castiel reminisced. "I also remember a massive amount of red dust."

"Byproduct of the nuclear wars," Ellen said. "Everything turned to dust, including the plants, and that caused oxygen levels to plummet. Millions died. The rest got on the ships."

"You need a suit to breathe on the surface. It's possible the mutants broke through the base's oxygen shield. We don't need to breathe, but we needed it for the experiments, so we constructed oxygen-trapping force fields around our bases," Sam explained. "Like I said, it's possible the mutants powered the one around Lucifer's base down, so you need a suit. Also, the suits protect against radiation, something even we're not immune to. Pamela, Uriel, and Lisa will also be in wearing them."

"Okay," Castiel said. He watched as Gabriel walked back over to his computer, input a command, and walked over to a seemingly seamless wall. The flat surface opened, revealing a small closet of sorts.

"Here we go. Regulation medium," Gabriel said, retrieving and brandishing a gray and silver object. Castiel took it from the vampire, surprised at how light it was.

"What's this fabric made of?" Castiel asked.

"It's similar to the walls of the ship. Titanium and gold, but spun into airtight fibers. There's a radiation-proof, airtight shield on the inside of it, along with insulation. They're suitable for space exposure," Sam said proudly. "I designed them."

Castiel pulled the suit on, taking the helmet that attached to it from Gabriel and snapping it onto the suit. Sam connected the air tube to the tanks of oxygen Gabriel had dragged out of the closet as well.

"So?" Jo asked. "How's it feel?"

Castiel spread his arms, bending and extending his elbows. "It feels like I'm wearing almost nothing."

"The insulation is a substance that's lighter than air. It's a type of gel that can withstand a direct blast from a powerful explosive," Sam informed the scientist.

"It's impressive," Castiel said, admiring the fabric.

"Hey, Cas! Looking good!" Castiel looked up. Pamela and Lisa had walked in, followed by a frowning Uriel. Pamela grinned, walking over to finish her comment. "I like the suit."

"Thank you, Pamela. You look nice in your suit as well." The brunette laughed, pulling her helmet off and tucking it under her arm. Castiel did the same, as did Lisa. Uriel already had his helmet under his arm.

"Are we ready to leave?" Lisa asked, looking around. "And where's Dean?"

"He and Bobby are working on something, apparently," Castiel informed her, slightly annoyed. "He can't see us off."

"Well, someone's a little pissed," Pamela said, amused. "Mad your boyfriend skipped out?"

Castiel glared at her. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Not yet," she replied. "I saw the looks you threw his way when you briefed us. If that wasn't love, I don't know what is."

Castiel blushed at being read so easily. Pamela smiled, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, honey. Nobody else would have been able to pick up on it. I've always been a little psychic."

"Uh, excuse you, Pam. Sam-moose and I both picked up on it," Gabriel said, pretending to be offended.

"Yeah, because you locked them in a room together and wouldn't let them out until they kissed, Gabriel," Sam replied, annoyed at his boyfriend. He nudged the shorter vampire with his elbow meaningfully.

"Enough of this. We need to depart," Uriel said.

"Roger that," Gabriel said. "I'll send you guys to the ship deck and get one of them fired up and ready to go. Get your helmets on."

Castiel pulled his helmet onto his head, gesuring for Sam to check the air tubes. He pulled the oxygen tanks onto his back, giving a thumbs up to Gabriel. The vampire grinned and returned the gesture, hitting a button on his computer. Castiel, Pamela, Lisa, and Uriel all became enveloped in golden light.

When the light faded, Castiel found himself and his team in a large hangar filled with strange, cylindrical shuttles. Lisa, Pamela, and Uriel all walked over to one of them. Lisa hit a button on a small panel on the end, opening a door. The shuttle powered up, and the team went inside.

"What are these things?" Castiel asked, looking around on the inside.

"They're shuttles. Dean picked your near-dead ass up off the surface in one of these babies," Pamela said, laying her hand on a slightly slanted surface in the front of the ship near the glass viewing window. The shuttle powered up and she flipped a few switches on the ceiling, smiling when the engine started up and it began hovering over the ground.

"Mission control, we good?" Pamela said.

"Yep!" came Gabriel's cheerful voice. "I'm opening the hangar doors now. Your comms will work while you're on Earth, but I don't know if they'll function while you're in the base due to the oxygen shield. Just in case, have someone with you at all times, please."

"We don't need a lesson in the buddy system, Gabriel," Pamela said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright then, you're cleared for launch. Good luck down there," Gabriel replied.

The craft rose under Pamela's piloting, flying out of a door in the end of the hangar. Castiel looked out of the viewing window in awe. He'd dreamed of being in space and had seen it from the  _Impala_ , but this was different. He was moving, floating in the unknown. The sun was a bright circle, and Castiel could see shadows of other planets circling it.

"Liking the view?" Lisa asked, noticing the awed look.

"Yes," Castiel said. "It's very beautiful."

"It is," Lisa agreed.

Their quiet moment was interrupted by the sound of a bullet clip entering a gun. Castiel turned around and looked for the source of the sound. Uriel was sitting on the side of the ship, loading a machine gun.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked.

"The mutants could return at any second, human. I don't want to be caught unprepared," the vampire said, sneering.

"They could, but it's highly unlikely, Uriel. And he has a name," Pamela replied, cutting Castiel off.

"Ah yes. Castiel, was it?" Uriel asked.

Cas nodded.

"Keep the fuck out of my business and I'll keep out of yours, hmm?"

Castiel reeled back, shocked, but he kept quiet. Deciding that looking at Uriel any longer would probably provoke the vampire further, he turned back to look at the view of Earth's surface from the shuttle.

* * *

 

They landed on the surface after about an hour of flight. There was no longer a visual out the window of the shuttle, as the red dust was blowing around them. Castiel grabbed the kit lying in the shuttle that Sam and himself had set up. The kit contained a Geiger counter, a bomb detector, a life form detection unit, and water and food rations. The three vampires had light blood rations, all supplied by Sam when he had set up the shuttle.

"Alright, Cas, make sure you hold onto your helmet," Pamela said. "The base entrance is about thirty yards from where we are now. The dust is pretty invasive, and these suits can only take so much. You'll find a few grains in your suit after we get inside the base, I guarantee you."

Castiel smiled. "Yes, I remember how terrible is was when I arrived in this time. The dust was everywhere."

"Here we go," Lisa said, preparing to press the button to open the shuttle door.

Castiel, Pamela, and Uriel all gave the affirmative nod, and Lisa opened the door.

Castiel decided that the dust was definitely more agreeable when one was encased in an insulated space suit. He stepped out of the shuttle, following Uriel, Lisa, and Pamela towards the base. It became a bit hard to walk after a while, the wind blowing the sand around Castiel's feet out from under him.

"You okay there, Cas?" Pamela said through the comms in the helmets.

"Yes, Pamela, I am fine," Castiel replied. "How far are we from the base?"

"We're here," Lisa said. She pressed a button on the gauntlet of her suit.

The dust on the ground before her rose, flipping back towards the surface as a metal trap door opened. She climbed into it, gesturing for the others to follow. Castiel went first, carefully descending the ladder. Pamela came next, followed by Uriel, who closed the trap door after them.

The team descended into the dark base, Lisa turning on a flashlight when she reached the bottom. Castiel looked around, following the path of the flashlight. The walls seemed like the same alloy from the ship.

"Come on, we have a job to do. Uriel, see if you can get power to the lights," Pamela said, turning on her flashlight.

Castiel waited obediently in the middle of the room while Uriel fiddled around with a fuse box. The lights flickered on after a while, and Castiel smiled triumphantly.

"The radiation bomb is supposed to be in the lab, which is towards the center of the base," Lisa said. "Castiel, take Pamela with you. Uriel and I will scout the base and find any other research we can."

"Sure thing, Lisa," Pamela replied. "Any data on the oxygen shield?"

"It's working, but only in certain parts of the base," Uriel said, scanning the control panel next to the fuse box. "The mutants must have shut one of the receptors off. It's working in the lab, so feel free to take your helmets off when you get in there."

"Thanks, Uriel," Castiel said. "Come, Pamela. Let's go find the bomb."

They walked further into the base, Pamela leading the way. The lights flickered now and then, but for the most part they were completely operational.

"So, Pamela, did you mean what you said about being psychic?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah. I know all the vamps, including myself, have visions of the future, but me? I can read thoughts sometimes. It's a byproduct of my sire. Before he was turned, he was half fairy, half human," Pamela replied.

"Fairy? You mean there were other races out there besides vampires?"

Pamela laughed. "Oh, yeah. Werewolves, ghosts, fairies, elves, demons, angels… The elves saw the war coming and took the ghosts, fairies, and werewolves and went into the elves' dimension. The demons and angels both went back to their respective places, Heaven and Hell. We agreed to remain behind to save humanity."

"Why?" Castiel asked.

"Well, for one," Pamela said, chuckling, "you're our only food source. Sure, we have synthetic blood, but our supply would eventually run out. By saving humanity, we saved our means of survival. The elves said that if we saved humanity successfully, they'd come back and get us and the humans and take everyone to their dimension."

"Haven't you saved humanity already? Why haven't the elves returned?"

Pamela shook her head, sadness overtaking her features. "We don't know. We haven't gotten any communication from them. I guess it's been so long that they forgot about us."

"No," Castiel said. "If any of the mythology I've read about elves is true, they're loyal almost to a fault. They wouldn't forget you. Maybe something happened and they can't travel between dimensions."

"That's a good point," Pamela said, stopping. She pressed a button on a console in the wall, which slid aside to reveal a small airlock. "We're here. Once we get inside the airlock, it'll fill the lab with oxygen. You'll be able to take your helmet off."

Castiel stepped into the airlock, followed by Pamela. He waited until the light on the door to the lab turned green and a computerized voice said, "Laboratory pressurized. You are free to enter."

The door slid open with the standard hiss of pressurized chambers. Castiel pulled his helmet off and detached the breathing tube, closing the valves on his oxygen tanks before setting the helmet on a nearby table. Pamela pressed a button on the wall, smiling when the lights came on.

"Alright, Cas, where's this bomb of yours?" Pamela asked, looking around.

Castiel looked around as well, shocked by the size of the lab and the multiple pieces of machinery and equipment that he'd never seen before. "I think it'll be over in the explosive testing area. Lucifer's notes said it was in the lab in a testing area, but he never specified exactly where the bomb was."

"Well then, we'd better start searching. Do you know what it looks like?" Pamela asked, lifting some papers on a table and peering under them.

"Lucifer never specified, but it should look somewhat like a normal bomb. Wires, a timer of some kind…" Castiel trailed off, glancing around the lab again.

"Uriel, we got to the lab," Pamela said into her radio.

"Affirmative. Lisa and I haven't found anything, so we'll come join you. Be there soon," Uriel replied.

"Roger that," Pamela said, taking her helmet off and setting it on the table next to Castiel's.

"Well," Castiel said, looking around. "Let's get busy."

Twenty minutes later, Castiel emerged triumphant. Brandishing a blueprint clearly labeled "Radiation Nullification Explosive", he walked over to where Pamela was examining a strange-looking piece of equipment.

"I found a blueprint, so it has to be here somewhere. Are there any locked portions of the lab?" Castiel asked.

"There's one. I'll unlock it for you, but you have to be careful. I don't know what's in there," Pamela said, pressing a button on her arm gauntlet.

A door in the seemingly unmarked wall opened. Castiel carefully walked over to it, reeling back when the light inside turned on.

"It's a motion sensor, Cas. Nothing to be afraid of," Pamela said, chuckling a little at the scientist's jumpiness.

"I'm aware, Pamela," Castiel replied, annoyed. He walked into the room, looking around. At the end of it was something that looked identical to the blueprint sitting on a pedestal of sorts.

The scientist carefully retrieved the bomb, carrying it out of the room. Pamela handed him a collapsible crate. Castiel put the bomb in the crate, snapping the lid on and setting it next to his helmet.

"Uriel and Lisa should have been here by now," Pamela said, worried.

"Maybe they got lost in the base?" Castiel suggested.

"No, Uriel helped build these things. He knows them like the back of his hand," Pamela said. She brought her wrist up to her face, hitting a button on the gauntlet. "Gabe? Gabriel, come in."

"What's up, Pam?" came the vampire's voice.

"Get on your computer and scan the base for life signs," Pamela said, voice strong.

Castiel and Pamela waited a few seconds while Gabriel looked on his computer.

"There's four, Pam. You, Castiel, Uriel, and Lisa."

"Where are the two that aren't in the lab, Gabriel?" Castiel asked.

"They're over by the offices. They're not moving around, so they must be looking at something," Gabriel said.

Castiel and Pamela looked at each other, the scientist becoming panicked.

"Gabriel," Castiel said, scared now. "Scan the base for radiation."

"Why would I-"

"Just do it!" Castiel exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, no need to get snippy. I'll do it right…now."

"What, Gabriel, what's wrong?" Pamela asked.

"There's no radiation around you two," Gabriel said, voice strangely choked. "But around the other two life forms… There's a lot."

"It's not Uriel and Lisa," Castiel said, voice in a horrified whisper. "They're mutants. They killed Uriel and Lisa. Shit!"

He pulled his helmet back on, helping Pamela reattach hers. She attached his oxygen tube and opened the valve on the tanks, handing Castiel his kit and the crate.

"Gabriel, scan the area around us within two miles," Pamela said, closing the door to the lab's airlock.

"Pam, I already did it." Gabriel did not sound optimistic.

"How many?" Castiel asked urgently.

"Fifty. All heading to your base. The two that were in the base already are heading towards the lab."

"I closed the airlock doors. They can't get to us," Pamela said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Remember what they did to Lucifer's door?" Gabriel said, worried. "Ok, the lab isn't safe. You two need to get to the base panic room. It's on the same level as the lab. All you need to do is go out the door and hang a right. There's a door down the hallway on the left. Go into that door, close it behind you, and go into the room. In the back of it is another door. Open it, go down the stairs, get into the vault, and close the door behind you."

"Okay, we'll do that," Castiel said. "Where are the mutants?"

"They're still on a different level than you guys, but you don't have much time. The others are getting into the base and are closing in on the two already inside. They'll all be on you in about three minutes," Gabriel said. "You need to go, and right now."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Pamela said, opening the airlock.

She and Castiel dashed in, waiting for the lock to click. When the exterior door opened and the voice warned of depressurization, the two ran down the hall, finding the door Gabriel had spoken about. They entered the room, closed the door, and ran to the door on the back wall. Castiel opened it and ran down the stairs, turning the large handle to the panic room. Pamela went in, grabbed the crate and Castiel's kit, and set them on the floor while Castiel closed the heavy door. They both turned the wheel to lock the door, collapsing onto the floor when they were done.

"Well, that was exciting. Gabriel, where are the mutants?" Pamela asked.

"They're flooding the lab. You two got out of there just in time," Gabriel said. "I don't know what you're going to do now."

"Well, Pamela has her blood rations, and I have my food, so we'll just have to survive until they go away," Castiel said.

"There's some blood rations in the panic room, actually. No food, though. The base was entirely staffed by vamps, so they didn't think to stock for humans. Sorry, Cas," Gabriel said.

"That's fine, Gabriel. Sam helped me pack some rations, like I said, so I'll be okay. Are the mutants finding the panic room?" Castiel asked.

"No, but they're coming close. Expect to hear a few love-punches on the door in the next few minutes. They can't get in, though. That door was meant to withstand a nuclear blast," Gabriel informed Castiel and Pamela.

As if on cue, a massive bang came from the door. Castiel and Pamela both stood up, Castiel grabbing his kit and the crate, and walked over to the other side of the room. Another loud noise came from the door, but it wasn't budging.

"Well, we'd better prepare for a long wait," Pamela said. "Get comfy, Cas."

* * *

 

A few hours later, the bangs on the door subsided. The scientist and the vampire listened to the sound of feet walking away and up the stairs.

"Gabriel?" Castiel asked. "Where are they?"

"The mutants seem to have retreated, but not far. You can't make a run for it," Gabriel said over the radio. "They seem to be slowly trickling out, but there's thirty or so of them still in the base. There's a few right outside the room before the panic room stairs, but the others are spread out all over the base."

"Lovely," Castiel groaned, knocking his helmeted head against the wall. "Any chance you can bomb them?"

"Hell no," Gabriel said. "The guns on the  _Impala_  are meant for taking down starships and particularly large rocks. If I shoot even one of the plasma bullets at you, there'd be a nice, 100-mile wide crater where your head used to be."

"Fantastic," Pamela replied sarcastically. "Anything smaller and less fatal to us?"

"Nope," Gabriel answered.

"Well then, I guess we'll just sit here for the rest of eternity," Castiel said, annoyed.

"Maybe not. The mutants are clearing out faster now. The ones that were in front of the panic room have moved towards the entrance. There's only fifteen or so of them now," Gabriel replied.

"How about around the shuttle?" Pamela asked.

"They seem to be leaving it alone, for the most part. As long as the ones in the base leave, you guys should have a pretty clear path to it," Gabriel said.

"That's good, I suppose," Castiel replied. "Will you let us know when all of them are out of the base? Or when we have an unobstructed path to the shuttle?"

"Sure thing, Cas. Sam says hi," Gabriel said.

"Tell Sam I'm very grateful he packed me food. And Gabriel?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah?"

"Tell Dean he'd better explain whatever the hell he was doing with Bobby when we get back, or I'll at least attempt to kill him," Castiel said determinedly.

"Sure thing, Cassie," Gabriel replied, amused.

"See, Cas?" Pamela said, nudging Castiel with her elbow. "I told you. You like him a lot."

"It's more than that," the scientist mumbled, pulling his knees to his chest. "I love him."

"Oh, really?" Pamela asked.

"Yes. I've never been in love before, so I don't know what it's supposed to feel like. However, I get the impression that what I'm feeling is something close to love, if not love itself."

"I was in love once," Pamela said. "He was an amazing guy, a human, and I met him right after I was turned. He found out about me six months into our relationship, and he was fine with it. He made me promise to turn him so we could be together forever. And then he went off to fight in World War 2. The sergeant in charge of his regiment told me that they weren't going into a combat zone. He was wrong, and my love and his regiment came under Nazi fire near the border between Germany and France. He came home to me in a coffin."

"That's terrible," Castiel replied.

"Yes," Pamela answered, a sad smile on her face. "Dean had to hold me at the funeral. I was crying too hard to stand upright."

"I was never really close to anyone back in my time," Castiel admitted. "My family ignored each other except for at dinner and parent-teacher conferences. When my mother died, I didn't feel anything. She may have given birth to me, but she wasn't my mother. I was five at the time, and all my siblings were crying at the funeral. I didn't understand why. This woman had been cold as ice towards us, so why were they crying? My older brother told me later that it was to keep up appearances. After my mother died, my father went into an alcohol-induced coma. My oldest brother was left to raise us. When he graduated high school and the state found out, we were moved to orphanages.

"I graduated high school and found my siblings. I adopted them and gave them money to live, and then I had to go off to college. When the government came to me to ask me about joining the time travel project, I told them I'd join on one condition: They not put my siblings in foster care, instead take them to my older brother, who could take care of them. And then I joined the project."

"Your life story is tougher than mine," Pamela said. "I had an easy life, being the daughter of a rich cattle farmer in southern Kansas. Of course, that was back in 1910. I was thirty when I was turned, and then I met Matthew, the one who went to war. After he died, I devoted myself to working with Sam and Dean to keep the peace in the vampire community. When the nuclear wars started, they told me to go help build  _The Avenger_. I've been living on that ship ever since."

"Sorry to interrupt the heart-to-heart, Pam, but the mutants are almost all gone. There's five still in the base, but they're on the other side. You have a clear path to the shuttle," Gabriel informed the two.

"Thanks, Gabe. Cas, let's go." Castiel grabbed his kit, pulling the Geiger counter out. He grabbed the crate, handing the kit to Pamela.

"If there's any mutants coming at us, the Geiger counter will detect the radiation," Castiel explained. "I can get the crate with one hand, but I'll need you in front of me to protect me."

"Sure thing, Cas," Pamela replied.

They slowly opened the door of the panic room, glancing around to make sure there were no mutants. "You're good," Gabriel said over their radios.

Pamela walked up the stairs quietly, followed by Castiel. She glanced around the room, nodding and beckoning Castiel forward. They walked through the halls, Castiel's Geiger counter clicking quietly every once in a while. They got to the trap door, trudging through the red dust at the base of the ladder. The trap door hadn't closed after the mutants had entered, and the dust had taken the chance.

"I'll go up the ladder and you can hand me the bomb. The wind isn't bad out there, so I'll run over to the shuttle and open it, put the bomb in, and come back for you," Pamela said.

"Good plan," Castiel said. Pamela climbed the ladder, holding an expectant hand down to Castiel. He climbed the first few bars, reaching up and handing her the crate. She stood up and ran away, the dust cloud behind her indicating that she had used her vampire speed.

Castiel began to climb the ladder, intending to go up to the surface of the planet to wait for Pamela. He was stopped, however, by his Geiger counter clicking loudly and rapidly.

"Shit!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Gabriel, is there one in the room with me?" Castiel asked quietly.

His question was answered when something grabbed his leg and yanked him off the ladder. He fell off, landing in the dust below.

A large gray mass ran over to him, leaning over him. Castiel opened his eyes to the same mutant that had killed Lucifer. Its horrible face was even more terrifying up close. Black teeth were moistened under an even blacker tongue, eyes sunken into its face like pits blinked. The mouth opened in the same hideous smile it had shown before the thing killed Lucifer.

Castiel's eyes widened as he tried to get the thing off of him, but it was in vain. The mutant was too strong for him. He grimaced as it leaned in closer, thankful for the helmet separating him from the creature. Its nostrils flared, as if it were sniffing him.

"Not…vampire," it hissed.

"What? No, I'm not a vampire," Castiel said, not believing he was talking to it.

"What..are…you?"

"I'm human, like you used to be," Castiel replied.

"Cas!" Pamela had come back to get him. She was standing in the open trap door, getting ready to go down the ladder.

"No, Pamela! This thing will kill you! Get to the shuttle and close the door, now!" Castiel yelled.

She looked conflicted, but she obeyed. Castiel looked back to the mutant.

"You are…friends with…bloodsuckers…deserve to…..die," the thing said, sneering. It reached its hand up, pulling Castiel's helmet off. The scientist gasped like a fish, the low oxygen content in the air making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Will…kill you…now," the mutant told Castiel, leaning in to rip his throat out.

Castiel's life flashed before his eyes as oxygen deprivation set in. He remembered when he was five, sitting at their mother's funeral and wondering why his siblings were crying. Flash forward to himself graduating high school and telling his little sister she'd be okay. Then he was in college, the prestigious general approaching him about time travel. Typing up that document before falling asleep. Arriving in Dean's time.  _Dean_. Castiel's eyes widened. The vampire would never know how Castiel felt about him. How much the scientist had enjoyed being in this time. Castiel tried to struggle, but he didn't have enough oxygen to make his cells move.

The creature leaned in, got a centimeter away from Castiel's throat, and then everything stopped.

Castiel was launched out of his body, now viewing the scene from above. He felt strangely calm, viewing the events below. The mutant got closer and closer to his throat.

Then, something strange happened. Castiel's body's eyes began to glow.

The mutant looked up, startled by the light. It jumped away as Castiel's body sat up, turning its head to look at the mutant. Castiel, or rather, his body, raised his hand, glowing the same color as his eyes. The scientist watched from his position above as the hand began to glow even brighter. Castiel's mouth opened, revealing that it was glowing with the same light as his eyes and his hands. Behind his body, the shadow of wings appeared on the wall. They began to materialize, the feathers a dark, rich blue. Castiel watched as his body became something not unlike the classic depictions of angels he had seen in his college religion studies.

As the light grew brighter, Castiel's body uttered something that would have been lost under the sound of the base collapsing around them, but Castiel, who was still floating above, heard it. One word, said in a language he had no idea when he had learned but had always known it. It had always been in the back of his mind, helpfully translating ancient religious texts during his religion class. It was Enochian.

" _Page._ "  _Die._

Then, the light from Castiel became brighter. It flooded the room, making it too bright to see. Castiel closed his eyes and felt a tugging. It seemed like something was trying to call him back to his body. Castiel went willingly, falling back into himself, as his body was overtaken with the light and everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for the cliffhanger, I'll upload the next chapter tomorrow, ok? I promise. Love you all!!!


	13. Not Entirely Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks! Castiel's not happy about his lodgings! Revelations! History! Yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just got an email with the comment, "Cliffhanger!!"
> 
> So I updated.
> 
> Here's your chapter, y'all. Happy 2016!! Enjoy!

" _Castiel…Castiel…Wake up. Castiel. Castiel? Wake up. It's me, Gabriella." Castiel opened his eyes to see his sister, smiling at him serenely._

" _Gabriella? Where's Donovan?" Castiel asked, shocked at the sound of his own voice. He'd had strep throat for a week and hadn't talked at all._

" _Donny's studying. Dad's still drunk and his boss called a week ago to tell him that he's been fired. Donny was forced to take a job at Singer's Auto Salvage. The job pays well, and the owner promised to help Donovan with his math and engineering studies. We're going to be okay, Cassie," Gabriella said, pushing Castiel's hair off of his forehead._

_Castiel smiled at the feeling. His sister always cared for him, even though she was a year younger than he was. "That's good. Are you studying as well, Gabriella?"_

_The brunette smiled, shyly tucking a piece of her long, golden-brown hair behind her ear. "I got into the Advanced Placement class for math, and they decided to move me into the Advanced English class as well."_

" _You're going to be too smart in a couple of years," Castiel said, shaking his head. He patted Gabriella's head, smiling when she blushed. "You'll become the next Albert Einstein."_

_Gabriella made a face, crinkling her nose in disapproval. "My hair's going to get all poofy like Einstein's?"_

_Castiel laughed. "Maybe it will. Why don't you stay away from perms for a while?"_

" _Good idea," Gabriella said, giggling. She stood up, placing a hand over Castiel's forehead. "It feels like your fever's gone. Why don't you come down to the table? I've already gotten Jared and Jensen."_

" _How are the twins? I've been sick for almost a week, and they never came in to say hello."_

" _Chaotic, as usual," Gabriella replied, rolling her eyes. "A couple days ago, they had a prank war at the school. It ended up with both of them in the principal's office, Jared's underwear full of itching powder and Jensen's hand was stuck to a soda can with super glue. Donovan nearly took their heads off."_

_Castiel couldn't help a laugh at his brothers', who were two years younger than him, antics. "They're problem children."_

" _Smart as hell, but yes," Gabriella replied, grinning. "Problem children."_

_Castiel pulled the sheets off of his legs, sliding them over to hang off of the edge of the bed. "Well, I suppose I should join the kitchen chaos. Dad still in his chair?"_

_Gabriella smiled sadly. "Yeah. He's only left to go to the bathroom and get more beer. When he runs out… I don't know what's going to happen. Donny can't buy him any until he's 21, and he's only 18 now."_

_Castiel felt his spirits sink at the thought of his brother, two years older than himself, having to buy alcohol for their deadbeat, immovable dad. "Is there any way we can get some? Call Uncle Kevin or something?"_

" _I already called. Uncle Kevin refused. He said that he didn't want to endorse Dad's habit, that he should just get out of his chair and buy the beer himself," Gabriella said sadly._

" _Oh well. I guess there's always Uncle Scott," Castiel said. Uncle Scott was their last living relative on their father's side (Kevin was Castiel's mother's brother). He absolutely adored Castiel's father, and would do anything for him. Hopefully, that would extend to buying cans upon cans of cheap Miller beer that Castiel's father would most likely go through in less than a month._

" _Well, this topic's really depressing, Castiel. Come on, you need to get out of bed. Come down and eat with us," Gabriella said, helping Castiel stand up._

_They walked down the stairs, Gabriella helping support her brother's wobbly legs, a result of almost an entire week spent in bed with a fever. They reached the kitchen, Castiel sitting in his designated chair at the table. The twins, Jared and Jensen, grinned cheekily at him._

" _Feeling better, Cas?" Jensen asked._

" _Gabriella told me about your unfortunate prank fight. You're not going to get off so easily. When I get my voice back, you're in for a yelling session," Castiel warned._

" _Aww, Castiel, but you never yell at us!" Jared said, pouting._

" _I will this time around," Castiel replied, shaking his fork in the twins' direction. "Now shut up and eat your breakfast. With Donovan busy, I'm in charge by default."_

_Gabriella smiled, and the twins both shut up and dug into their eggs._

_Castiel looked around at his family, smiling. They weren't perfect, but they were mostly happy. They barely scraped by, but all that mattered was that they stay together. Castiel hadn't told the younger ones about Donovan's plan to adopt them after he got his major in business management. It would be at least a year and a half, depending on how many classes Donovan could double up on, and it would be a hard time. However, Castiel knew he was capable of caring for their family while Donovan was gone to college. He'd keep them together, just like Donovan had. After all, he and Donovan were the only ones who still remembered their mother._

_Their mother, a strict, unhappy woman, but their mother all the same._

_It was her memory that kept Donovan going. He didn't aspire to be like her or anything like that. He used her as an example of something he didn't want to become. Donovan was the most caring, kind person that Castiel had ever met. Their mother was a prime example of what could happen to Donovan if he ever let go of his personality._

_Looking around the table once again, glaring slightly at the twins as they tried to shove eggs up each others' noses, Castiel felt the happiest he'd been in years. It wasn't perfect, but it was family. They'd be complete when Donovan came home, but until then, they'd have to manage._

* * *

 

Gasping, Castiel sat up. He looked frantically around, panicking when he found that there was no one else in the room. He appeared to be in the medical ward, but it was different than the last time he'd been there. For one, the windows around him were boarded up on the outside.

"Where am I?" the scientist asked, swinging off the medical bed. He rolled the IV stand holding the bag connected to his arm forward, walking toward the door.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Castiel asked, knocking on the door. No reply came, so he walked back to the table and sat down, situating the IV stand next to him.

Castiel scanned the room around him again, looking for some kind of communicator. Finding none, he sighed, lying back down on the bed. He was wearing plainclothes, a simple blue t-shirt and sweatpants, so he wasn't cold.

The IV bag was about half-full, and would last him at least another six hours. He'd just have to wait for someone to come change it, then. There was a metal bucket beside the bed, for obvious reasons, so at least Castiel wouldn't have to discreetly take care of his business in one of the corners.

He moved around on the uncomfortable bed, pulling the blanket up over his hips and rolling onto his side, facing the IV. The needle twinged a little, but it didn't hurt him. Castiel closed his eyes and tried to recall what, exactly, had happened in Lucifer's base.

He remembered Anna and Uriel's radio silence, and he remembered the panicked rush to the bunker room. He smiled sadly when remembering the heart-to-heart he and Pamela had had in the panic room while waiting for the mutants to leave. He remembered passing the bomb to Pamela before the Geiger counter went crazy.

That was where Castiel got a little fuzzy. He recalled being pulled off the ladder, pinned helplessly by the mutant, and yelling for Pamela to run. He then remembered being thrown out of his body to watch the strange light erupt from it and wings grow out of its back. After that… Castiel couldn't remember a thing.

What had happened after he had returned to himself? Had the light died down and Pamela picked him up, carrying him to the shuttle? Or had Gabriel 'beamed' him up to the  _Impala_?

And why was he in this room with its boarded-up windows and its bathroom bucket and its stupid, helpless, clueless scientist who had no idea why he was in here other than the fact that he'd turned out to be a total freak?

Castiel grumbled in anger, closing his eyes and trying his best to return to sleep. He'd chew Dean out whenever the hell the vampire decided to show his stupid absent-from-launches pretty face.

Which turned out to be two minutes later. Castiel had just entered the blissful space between sleep and conciousness, that beautiful realm where you're not quite asleep but not quite awake, and anything can happen.

Including a 10,000-year-old vampire loudly opening the door, loudly walking into the room, and loudly yelling, "Bobby, he's awake!"

"I am now," Castiel grumbled in annoyance, sitting up. "I was about to fall asleep when your stupid ass decided to barge in here. Dick."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the hospital bed," Dean said, chuckling.

"Someone woke up alone in a room with boarded-up windows and a fucking bucket for bathroom purposes. Of course I'm pissed."

Dean put his hands up in the classic 'I surrender' pose. "Whoa, Cas, no need to get so angry. Bobby and I'll explain what happened, but I need you to sit on the bed and try not to kill us."

"I can't even if I wanted to, which I'm certainly leaning towards at the moment," Castiel said, narrowing his eyes.

"Look, Castiel," Bobby said, coming into the room and standing next to Dean. "I can't exactly prepare you for what I'm about to tell you, but-"

"I've spent the last three months of my life with millenia-old vampires. In the last two days, I've flown in a shuttle too advanced for even me to comprehend, collected a bomb that shouldn't be physically possible, been attacked by mutants, and I don't know what the hell I am anymore. I'm certainly not human, unless that incident in the base was a fluke. I don't think I need to be prepared, Bobby. Just tell it to me as it is," Castiel said.

"Well, can't argue with that logic. The thing is, Cas, you're not entirely human," Dean said.

"I know that much, Dean. I saw what happened in the base. I glowed and I grew wings. My theory is that I'm descended from one of the supernatural creatures I'm so fond of mixing myself up with," Castiel said dryly.

"Not only are you descended from one, but you're 50% angel," Bobby said.

"I'm half angel?" Castiel asked. "How is that even possible?"

"One of your parents did it with an angel, and stuff happened, and-"

"Yes, Dean," Castiel said, "I know how babies are made. What I want to know is  _how._  My mother and father were always distant, but they were my parents."

"You were most likely adopted. Do you look like the rest of the members of your family?" Dean asked.

Castiel remembered Gabriella and her beautiful golden hair and hazel eyes, Donovan with his sandy hair and green eyes, and the twins with their chocolate brown hair and eyes.

"No," the scientist replied. "I don't look anything like how my father and mother used to look, either."

"Then you were adopted. And you're not just half angel, Cas," Bobby said. "You're at least 20% elf as well, from what we've seen in your bloodwork."

"That's what you were working on?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah. Sorry we had to keep it from you, but a month ago when you went into the archives, Dean got a taste of your blood," Bobby said.

"I remember that. He did it so Sam wouldn't smell it anymore," Castiel answered.

"Well, he tasted something...different. He didn't tell anyone about it except for me, and I pulled out the blood samples I took from you when we rescued you off the surface of the planet," Bobby explained. "We looked at them under microscopes for weeks, but we couldn't figure out why it was different. And then Dean had the idea to run your blood through the supernatural blood scanner."

"It was invented by the humans right before the nuclear war, after we came out to them," Dean said. "They didn't know if there were any other species out there, so they were paranoid. They scanned pretty much everyone who ever visited a hospital. The machines worked, and humans discovered the other races: the angels, the demons, the werewolves, and the elves. There was a huge uproar, but we managed to calm it down. When the races all left to the elves' dimension, they interrogated all of the people going over there to find out if they had made any hybrids with humans. No one admitted to it, and they left."

"My theory is that you're the last hybrid in existence," Bobby said. "Have weird things ever happened around you?"

"No," Castiel replied. "The base was the first manifestation of my powers, I guess."

"Then I'm going to assume your parents most likely knew about you. The idjits probably gave you supplements to suppress your magic," Bobby said angrily.

"Calm down, Bobby," Dean said. "They were probably scared of him."

"They should have been," Bobby informed Dean. "Cas here is more powerful than I am. If what the blood scanner came up with was true, Castiel here is only about 30% human, probably even less than that, and you're the only one who's on par with how much raw magic he's got. You remember the elves' powers?"

"How could I forget?" Dean asked sarcastically. "They turned me into a dog for a week back in the 2010's. That was annoying."

"Well, combine it with the nuclear reactor level power of an angel, and you've got the most powerful being in the universe," Bobby said. "And that powerful being just happens to be Cas."

"So let me get this straight-I've got as much magic as Dean?" Castiel asked, trying to hide the amusement at the annoyed expression on Dean's face. "What does that even mean?"

"Every supernatural being has a certain amount of magic power. The angels, elves, and vampires have the most, in that order. Angels could use an entire array of heavenly light to smite, heal, or do anything they wanted. Elves could cast spells that had been around for millions of years. Vampires have the super speed, vision, hearing, and the seer powers. You're a combination of angel and elf, so you can probably use their magic. You've definitely got just as much juice as Dean, maybe even more so. The interesting thing is, the only reason you're still alive is because of your human blood. If you were half elf and half angel, your body's power would destroy itself and you in the process. The small percentage of human in you saved your life," Bobby told Castiel.

"When I transformed in the base, it didn't seem like any of the stereotypical elven features showed up, though," Castiel said. "I didn't notice any pointy ears or exaggerated cheekbones. All I saw was the angel wings and the light."

"Um, Cas?" Dean asked, pulling a mirror from his back pocket. "Might wanna change your statement.

Castiel took it, choosing not to comment on the fact that Dean carried around a mirror. When he looked in the mirror, his mouth dropped open in surprise. On either side of his head, pointed ears poked out of black hair. His eyes were now more blue than they'd ever been, and his face looked younger. The stress wrinkles and frown marks were whispers of their past selves. Castiel looked 20 again, the same age he'd been when he accepted the job from the military.

"Holy shit."

Dean grinned. "See, you're just as supernatural as the rest of us. I have a slight problem with you being more powerful than me, but at least my true form looks cooler."

"Oh, shut up, ya idjit," Bobby said. "You both have wings and you both look fine; now put your rulers away before you hurt someone."

"Wait," Castiel said, setting the mirror down on the hospital bed next to him. "If my parents gave me some kind of drug to stop my powers, why didn't they manifest when I went off to college?"

"They must have been kept in something constant," Dean said. "Was there anything you took to college with you that came from home, something you had for your entire life?"

"I did bring my book collection with me, but that was it," Castiel said, thinking. "Wait. My little sister, Gabriella, snuck my old teddy bear into my suitcase. It'd been with me since I was very little, and it was in most all of our family pictures."

"Bobby, what if Cas's adoptive parents didn't know? What if the bear came with Cas when they adopted him?" Dean asked.

"That's possible, I guess. Did you bring the bear with you to the lab where you were working on the time travel?" Bobby asked.

"No," Castiel said.

"Then it must have been something else," Dean muttered.

"Wait a minute," Castiel said. He reached up to his neck and pulled off his pendant necklace, something he'd had since he was very young. "Mother gave this to me when I was young. She said never to take it off, and if I did, bad things would happen. Being a little kid, I believed her and kept it on. When she died, I kept it as a memory of her. I've always worn it, even when I was in the shower. It's funny though. The chain never rusted, not ever."

"Let me see," Dean said, holding his hand out for the necklace. He examined it closely. There was nothing special about it, really. It was just an amber pendant on a plain silver chain. The vampire looked closer, peering at the amber. It had cracked in two, held together by the clasp that attached it to the chain. Inside the amber resided a small leaf, almost in danger of falling through the crack.

"Bobby, take a look at this," Dean told the man, handing him the necklace. "Look familiar?"

The doctor took a close look at the pendant and gasped. "That's..."

"What? What is it?" Castiel asked, nervous.

"Cas, you're not just elven. You're elven royalty," Dean said reverently, handing the necklace gingerly back to Castiel. "That's one of the leaves off of Queen Tatiana's crown. She must have been your grandmother. I think she used the leaf pendant to block your elven and angel powers. Your adoptive mother must have just been told that if you didn't wear it, something terrible would happen. My guess is that Tatiana used magic to convince her."

"So now that it's broken, my powers are going to manifest completely?" Castiel asked. "And where are my wings?"

"Your powers will manifest fully, and your wings will appear whenever you tell them to," Bobby said. "You could manifest them right now if you wanted to. However, I wouldn't keep them out all the time. You might freak out the crew a little bit before they got used to it, but the humans would panic. They don't need the stress of another supernatural being besides vampires to deal with."

"I'll keep them in, then. At least until the crew knows about what happened," Castiel decided.

"Oh, they already know," Dean said, holding out a helping hand to Castiel. "I think you underestimate your powers. Come on, let's go to the crew deck. There's something I need to show you."

Castiel got off of the hospital bed, refusing Dean's arm. "I'm still pissed at you," he informed the vampire. Dean shrugged and opened the door, followed by Bobby and Castiel. They walked down a hallway and into a transporter. Dean hit the button for the crew deck, and they were enveloped in golden light.

When they emerged, Castiel was immediately ambushed by a worried Sam and pulled into a rib-breaking hug.

"Hello...Sam," Castiel groaned, hugging the vampire back.

"Back off, bitch, he can't breathe," Dean informed his brother.

"Shut up, jerk. I was worried sick about him," Sam said, letting Castiel go. "How are you? Do you feel okay?"

"Yes, Sam, I'm fine."

"We explained his situation," Dean said. "He knows about his blood. But we also found out that he's most likely Queen Tatiana's grandson."

"The elf queen?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"The same," Dean said. "We need to show him the footage from the base."

"Sure thing, Dean-o," came Gabriel's voice from the computer chair. Castiel walked over towards the computer so he could see the footage.

It started relatively normally. The camera seemed to be positioned above the trap door on a pole. Castiel didn't remember that pole being there. It must have risen out of the dust whenever the base had an incident. Castiel watched as he passed the radiation bomb to Pamela. She ran to the shuttle and went inside, closing the door. The door started to open again, but the light from inside the base started glowing brighter and the door closed again. Pamela must have seen the light from inside the shuttle and thought it was dangerous. The shuttle didn't move, though, so she must have been waiting out the light.

Castiel watched as it grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the surface of the planet. Then, everything went white in the view of the camera. As the light faded, Castiel saw a small figure dash into the trap door and come out again with a limp body over its shoulder.  _Pamela_ , Castiel thought.  _She carried me out of the base_.

The shuttle powered up and flew away and the computer screen went black.

"We saw the light from up here," Dean said. "It was damn bright. When Pamela came back on board with you in the shuttle, we immediately moved you to that room. It was Bobby's idea to board up the windows."

"When you first arrived, you seemed to be having seizures," Bobby said. "They happened about every fifteen minutes, and each time you'd glow a little bit. I was afraid that you'd go into a Grand Mal and blind the entire ship, so I boarded up the windows. I'm sorry about that, but it was to keep us all safe."

"No, it's fine," Castiel said, still in awe of the light he had created. "What happened to the mutants?"

"That's the amazing thing," Sam said. "We had a computer monitor with the life form detector on it powered up during the flash you created. In a two hundred mile radius, the life form count went from seventy before the light to two after you went into angel mode."

"I killed all of them? Why did my light spare Pamela?" Castiel asked.

"She's friendly. I think your magic recognized her as being on our side, so it just washed over her and didn't do anything," Gabriel said.

"Do the other ships know about what happened?" Castiel asked.

"No. We told them that Uriel and Lisa detonated a prototype and they died because of it. Pamela swore up and down to Balthazar that the light emitted was from a special weapon you'd found and detonated inside the base. He didn't believe a second of it, but the others ate it up," Dean said.

The scientist took a deep breath, sinking to his knees before sitting down completely and putting his head on his folded knees, wrapping his arms around his legs. It was a lot to take in, and he just needed a minute to breathe.

"We have some elven and angel records in the archives," Sam said. "You can learn how to use your powers."

"That sounds wonderful, Sam," Castiel said, "but could I get some water first?"

"Sure thing, Cas," Sam said. He walked away as Dean knelt down next to the scientist.

"I know it's a lot to handle on such a short notice, but you'll be fine, Cas," Dean said.

"I'm still mad at you, Dean," came Castiel's muffled voice.

"Why?"

"Because you weren't at the launch. You didn't see me off," Castiel said. "Instead, you were looking at samples of my blood with Bobby. Was it really so important?"

"Well, I was finding out about your blood," Dean said. "It was kind of important."

"You could have at least come to say goodbye," Castiel grumbled.

"I could have, you're right," Dean admitted, sitting next to Castiel. The vampire stared at the scientist's hand, debating pulling it to his own.  _Ah, what the hell._

Castiel's head shot up when he felt a hand grab his. He looked over, startled, at Dean. "What...?"

The vampire smiled, the smile growing into a grin when Castiel blushed and turned away. Dean scooted closer to Castiel, pulling the scientist's hand to his lips. He chuckled when the scientist went rigid, shyly turning to Dean.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing me."

Dean silenced him with a kiss on the lips, laughing when Castiel's blush spread to his hairline.

"Get a room, you two," Gabriel said, grinning.

Sam laughed, walking forward to stand behind a laughing Dean and a furiously blushing Castiel. "Still need that water?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos, comment, subscribe, whatever you guys do! My birthday is in 2 days! Yay!
> 
> I'll update again tomorrow, okay? Love you all, thanks for all the support!


	14. Trouble in Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training! Angst! Idgits being Idgits! Matchmaking! Yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst! Sorry I didn't upload when I promised, I had to sit on my ass in the car for 5 hours yesterday (what a great birthday present *eye roll*) so I didn't get the chance to update the story.
> 
> I know my story's been mostly rainbows and unicorns and blushing schoolgirl crushes so far, so I added some angst for y'all to read. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Dean…" Castiel gasped, "This is very…difficult."

"Oh come on," Dean said, smirking. "You can take it."

"No, I can't!" Castiel strained to move his arm, but he couldn't take it anymore. Dropping the weight, he turned to Dean and exasperatedly asked, "What do weights have to do with learning how to use my elven and angel powers?"

"You're weak, Cas," Dean said. "You're part human. You need to get your bodily strength up before you do mental training."

"I'm not weak, Dean!" Castiel protested.

"Yeah, Cas, you are."

"I am not! Just because I haven't lived for ten thousand years doesn't mean I can instantly lift a car or delete my emotions whenever I feel like it!" the scientist exclaimed angrily.

"Delete your…Why would you do that?" Dean asked, puzzled.

"That's what you do, you dense ancient!" Castiel yelled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Anytime I try to get close to you, it's all 'No chick flick moments. I'm immortal and not allowed to care about anyone.'. I'm tired of it, Dean. I'll train with Sam from now on. And I honestly don't care if I'm a third wheel to him and Gabriel, because I'd rather be a third wheel than whatever the hell you're treating me like."

Castiel made a move to leave the room, intending to go look for Sam so he could maybe survive the next few months without having his heart torn in two. He was stopped by Dean's large, unexpectedly warm hand to grab his own.

"Why are you so pissed off, Cas?" Green eyes met blue and clashed, fighting back and forth in a never-ending battle.

"Because you don't care, Dean," Castiel said, wrenching his arm out of Dean's grip. Even though the vampire could have stopped Castiel from doing that, he just let it happen, his arm falling to his side.

"When I launched for Earth, you were too busy studying  _my_ blood with Bobby. I was so mad at you when you didn't show up, but I got over it. I thought, 'oh well, it's not like I'm not going to come back from this mission. Gabriel said all the mutants were gone.'. And then I nearly died," Castiel spit the words, the taste of them like venom in his mouth.

"You know what the only thought on my mind was right before I transformed? 'Well, I never said goodbye to Dean. I wish I could have told him everything'. And then I find out that I'm not completely human, and we go up to the crew deck, and I sit down, and you kiss me, and I think 'Finally, he's accepted me and we can be together'. But no, Dean. Instead it's 'No chick flick moments' and endless, difficult training and I'm sick and tired of you avoiding both your and my emotions. Therefore, I'm going to train with Sam."

With that, the scientist left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Dean sighed, running his formerly outstretched hand through his hair. Pulling up his vidcom, he sighed again. "Bobby, I've really fucked it up now.

* * *

 

"So basically, you're training with me because Dean is being his usual knuckleheaded self and refuses to acknowledge that he's so in love with you rainbows fly out of his ass when he looks at you?" Sam asked, amused but concerned.

Castiel looked like Hell frozen over and then put in the microwave on the highest popcorn setting that even popcorn bags themselves tell you not to use. To put it simply, the scientist looked like shit, exhausted and mentally tired of everything. Sam was sure that without the Elven facial features, Castiel would look even worse.

"That's a bit of a hyperbole, but yes, Dean is being a dense idiot and I'm tired of dealing with it," Castiel replied. "I don't even care if we train or just read classic books the whole time. I just need to get away from Dean and hope whatever the hell this burning pull in my chest is goes away."

Sam could tell that Castiel knew exactly what it was.  _Love_. The emotion was a rare occurence. Sure, people are in love with each other all the time. However, when they're not in love anymore and just love, the couple breaks up and moves on.

That rare emotion, the beautiful thing so often praised in books and plays and weird romcom movies that you watch when you feel like eating an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, was destroying Castiel from the inside out. And Sam planned to fix that. He sent a quick mental text to Bobby through his comm, preferring not to start verbally talking about Cas and Dean in front of one of the aforementioned.

Bobby responded in kind with a gruff spoked message to his comm: "Dean vidcommed me. He's admitted he's screwed up, the idjit. That only ever happens once a millennia. Anyway, I need you to get Cas down here so we can lock the idjits in a room and they can talk."

Sam sent another message, listening to Castiel's rant about "Stupid, dense, assbutt Dean" while nodding at all the appropriate times.

"I don't know how you should get him into a room alone with Dean, but just do it!" Bobby's voice replied. "The tension in the air is so thick that I could slice it up and send it to Crowley for a little bit of Sexual Tension Stew."

Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust at that before sending another message: "Why don't you get Gabriel to teleport Cas and Dean into the same room and then lock the door? I don't think Cas will let Dean do anything with how pissed he's been at him lately, but make sure it has a bed just in case."

The sound of Bobby's laugh came through the comm. "I'll tell Gabriel. Cas might disappear in the next few seconds, so don't start any meaningful conversations. And don't let the idjit tear himself down any more than he already has, please. I'd hate for him to show up crying and Dean to feel like even more of a dick than he's been lately. Not that Cas crying wouldn't make Dean feel worse about hiding his emotions, but I think anyone would break down if they saw Cas cry."

Sam responded, sending a "Yeah, I don't think I could see him do that without crying myself. I'll call Gabe and let him know."

Bobby replied, telling Sam he'd try to prepare Dean. Sam sent a quick message to Gabriel: "Gabe, I need you to beam Dean and Cas to Dean's quarters."

"Matchmaking them, are we?" Gabriel replied with no small amount of amusement in his voice.

Sam rolled his eyes, making the tone of his next mental message exasperated. "Gabriel, Dean's being a dick. Cas looks like shit. Dean's been ignoring his feelings and it's hurting Cas and I can't stand to see him like this. If you could see him, Gabe, you'd want to help too."

"Fine, fine. I'll send them to Dean's quarters. But if they don't do anything, I'm going to personally walk down there and knock their heads together," Gabriel said, calibrating the teleporter. "Alright, we're a go. Launching the two dumbasses in three…two…one."

Sam watched as Castiel's eyes widened in surprise, golden light surrounding the scientist and whisking him away.

"Now all we can do is pray…" Sam said, shaking his head.

 

* * *

Castiel gasped, collapsing to his knees as he reappeared into existence. The strain of the teleportation usually wouldn't have bothered him but he was physically and mentally exhausted to the point that he could sleep like a baby even if the location of said sleeping was less than agreeable to his body, and that tended to magnify the effects of even minor injuries. Castiel looked up, saw a bed, and stood up, intending to lie on it. He did not, however, see the vampire on the other side of the room.

"Hey, Cas." Castiel froze, halfway to his salvation, and turned. Standing in the shadows of the room was Dean.

"What...Why are we here?" Castiel asked coldly.

"Sam and Bobby, most likely. I talked to Bobby right after you left the room, and I guess he and Sam were talking. They probably had Gabriel transport us into here," Dean explained.

Castiel groaned, walking to the wall and collapsing down it, crumpling to his knees again.

"You okay, Cas?" Dean walked forward, a hand held out to help the scientist up. Castiel smacked Dean's hand away and put his head on his knees, trying to be rid of the dizziness.

"I'm fine. It's probably just a side effect of my powers returning all at once. And then you had to go work me to the bone, so forgive me if I'm a bit tired," Castiel replied tersely.

"Sorry, Cas," Dean said, sitting down next to the scientist. "I didn't mean to work you that much."

"Well, you did," Castiel said, annoyed. "I haven't been sleeping, you know. I can still remember everything that happened in the base up to when my powers activated. I remember every detail of that mutant's face, and I have nightmares about it. So, I decided I just didn't want to run the risk, and I haven't been sleeping. That's why I've been unable to participate in the usual training lately."

"God, Cas, I didn't know..." Dean looked at his hands, wishing he could comfort Castiel but knowing the gesture wasn't going to be very welcome.

"Yes, Dean, I know you didn't know. I kept it from you. But then today, you just pushed me and I snapped, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that," Castiel apologized, voice muffled by his knees.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been avoiding you and making you train really hard so you wouldn't try and talk to me about...us," Dean admitted.

"Us? There is no 'Us', Dean. You erased that possibility today when you decided to keep your emotions locked up," Castiel said coldly.

"There would be an us, if I wasn't such a dick. I'm sorry, Cas," Dean said. "I'm not a guy who likes to wear his heart on his sleeve. That's my brother. All of the people who have ever been close to me end up getting hurt, Cas. Dad died, I was stupid enough to turn Sammy and he attacked our village, and now my entire family is either dead or undead. The people close to me that were humans? They're all dead. I couldn't have turned them, Sam goes bat-shit when he smells blood, and Bobby and Ellen refused to turn them for me."

"I'm not human, Dean. How do you know that you turning me will have an effect like it did on Sam?" Castiel asked.

"Cas, it's out of the question. There can't be an us. You need to return to your own time."

"What if I don't want to?" Castiel inquired angrily, getting up to stand in front of a startled Dean. "Did you ever think about that, Mr. I Don't Show Emotions Because I Don't Want To Grow A Vagina? Well, I have news for you. There is no such thing as anything remotely humanoid and male growing a vagina. In the case of the Cullens from that infernal Twilight Series by the oh-so acclaimed Stephanie Meyer, they already had them. I doubt you already had one, so man up and tell me how you feel about me or I swear to God I will walk out of this room. And mark my words, if Gabriel tries to stop me, I will annihilate him."

The scientist walked over to the door, placing a hand on the opening button and raised an eyebrow, daring Dean to stop him. The vampire got up, wordlessly walking over to the scientist and taking one of his hands.

"Castiel Novak, you are the most infuriating person I've ever met," Dean said, smiling. "You're a human, or at least part human, yet you manage to toss me around like I'm nothing, a feather in the wind. I'm not a poetic person, never have been, but you make me want to write until my fingers bleed while you sit there and stare at me with those beautiful blue eyes. You're stubborn and smarter than I'll ever be, but still I'm drawn to you."

Castiel let a small smile show on his face as Dean leaned in, kissing him. The scientist felt his knees get a little weak when he finally,  _finally_  tasted Dean again. The cool forest air and spring water that Castiel had tasted when Gabriel locked them in that room together during Christmas returned, and Castiel was floating.

He was vaguely aware of Dean's worried green eyes pulling back, strong arms catching him when the exhaustion finally won. Castiel closed his eyes, smiling. The last thing he saw before everything went black were beautiful green eyes made bright by the starlight streaming in from Dean's window.

 _Starlight in green eyes_ , Castiel thought just as he passed out.  _How poetic._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything except for some choice SPN merch and the plot of this story. 
> 
> Please comment, subscribe, follow me, leave kudos, whatever you wish to do. I'll upload the next chapter soon!


	15. Irresistible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an answer to the question of "What the hell is blooding?!"
> 
> Dean's true form.
> 
> Smut!!!!!
> 
> Yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Destiel smut alert!!!!!
> 
> There will be a break before the smut, so don't worry. And there's no more plot after the smut, so if you don't want to read it, just close out of the browser as soon as you get to the break.

"So, you're not as human as everyone thought you were, Cassie? Can't say I'm surprised," Balthazar said, leaning back in his chair and smirking.

"Yes, Balthazar," Castiel said, smiling. He couldn't help it. Balthazar's mirth was contagious.

"So, the Winchesters are training you?"

"Well," Castiel admitted, "Sam is. Dean and I are having a bit of…trouble."

"What do you mean, trouble?" Balthazar asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"We've been dancing around each other for a while now, and the other day we were in a room together. Alone."

"Ooh, juicy," Balthazar said. "What happened?"

"We kissed but then I fainted from exhaustion. Now he's avoiding me like the plague. I haven't seen him in days," Castiel explained, slumping into a chair defeatedly.

"Oh, don't be sad, Cassie! Depression isn't a good look on you," Balthazar said. "Tell me, has Dean been acting strange lately?"

"Strange? How do you mean?"

"As in avoiding you, eyes widening when he sees you before running away, short, clipped sentences?" Balthazar suggested.

"Well, the avoiding me part is accurate. I haven't seen him since we kissed, but he was talking to Sam the other day when I walked into the training room. As soon as he saw me, he said goodbye to Sam, a short hello to me, and walked straight out of the room," Castiel said.

Balthazar grinned, clapping his hands together. "Well Cas, I applaud you. You've really done it."

"Done what?" Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You've blooded him! Oh, I'm so happy, it hasn't happened to the bastard yet and now he's in for a treat!" Balthazar was mischeviously rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Sam mentioned that a while ago. What is it?"

"I suppose you should find out from Dean yourself, love," Balthazar said, calming down. "He won't take kindly to me explaining everything. He should be in his quarters. Just go ask him."

"I can't!" Castiel protested. "He's locked everyone out of his quarters, saying he's not to be disturbed!"

Balthazar waved a dismissive hand. "Oh please, Castiel. Do you really think me that incompetent? I talked to Gabriel, explained the situation to him, and he's agreed to open the door for you."

Castiel turned around to look at the pilot, who shrugged good-naturedly. "What? It's bad voodoo to keep blood-mates from each other. Dean doesn't know what he's doing, Cas. You'll be fine. He's just being stubborn. It's a Winchester thing."

Castiel shook his head, smiling at the pilot's words. "Balthazar, even if Gabriel opens the door, who's to say Dean's going to talk to me? He might just speed past me and run away."

"On the contrary," Balthazar said, winking. "You're going to be nearly irresistible to Dean. He won't run away. His body won't let him."

Castiel threw his hands up in frustration. "Why won't you tell me what the hell's going on with him? What on earth is blooding?!"

"Okay, calm down, babe," Gabriel said. "It's a complicated process in which stuff happens. Dean has to explain it to you fully, so all I can tell you is that it's hella important."

Castiel groaned in confusion. "That doesn't help."

"Just go talk to the stubborn bastard, Castiel," Balthazar helpfully supplied. "He'll come around, I'm sure of it."

"Fine," Castiel said. "I'll go talk to him."

* * *

 

The scientist found himself in front of the door to Dean's quarters ten minutes later. Gabriel had assured him that as soon as he touched it, it would unlock for him. Castiel took a deep breath, steadying himself and preparing for whatever the hell was going on.

He knocked once on the door, the nearly silent sound of the lock giving way the only thing that gave him pause.

"Whoever it is, you need to go away," came Dean's voice from the other side of the door.

"It's me, Dean. Gabriel and Balthazar sent me down here to talk to you," Castiel said, waiting to open the door.

"Go away, Cas. You don't need to see me like this."

"Like what?" Castiel asked, curiosity smothering the nervousness. He opened the door and walked gingerly into the room. Immediately there was the sound of something running across, and Dean was enveloped in shadow. Castiel couldn't see anything except for the floor where the window, always supplying its starlight, illuminated.

"What the fuck, Cas? How'd you get the door open?" Dean asked incredulously, keeping to the shadows.

"Gabriel," Castiel supplied. Dean cursed under his breath.

"Well, you need to leave. Right now." Castiel still couldn't see the vampire, and he took a step further into the room. The sound of Dean running came again as he ran through the shadows into the corner by the window, still obscured by shadow.

"No, Dean, I don't need to leave," Castiel said. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" Dean asked. "There's nothing to talk about, Cas. Now leave before I hurt you."

"Dean, that's where you're wrong on both counts. We have much to talk about, and you're not going to hurt me," Castiel replied. "You don't really want me to leave, Dean. You're just afraid your masculinity will be compromised by confessing anything and everything to me."

"Dangerous territory, Cas," Dean snarled softly.

"I don't care. I love you from the bottom of my heart, you insufferably dense vampire. Now will you please step into the light so I can see you?" Castiel asked, taking a step forward.

"Cas..." Dean trailed off, and for a second Castiel thought he was going to cave. He was disappointed, however. "No, Castiel. You may love me, but I can't love you back. I'm not capable. Now get out of here before I harm you."

"Dean Winchester, you will get your head out of your ass and talk to me or I swear to God I will find a way to kill you and use it," Castiel threatened.

Dean laughed softly. "You are the most stubborn person I've ever met, Castiel Novak."

"Try looking into a mirror sometime, you ass. Now, talk to me. What the hell is happening to you?" Castiel asked. "Balthazar and Gabriel said it was something called blooding."

Dean outright growled at that. "Those bastards. They weren't supposed to tell you."

"Well, they did, and now I want to know what the hell is going on."

"Fuck it," Dean said defeatedly. "You'll find out soon enough anyway. When a vampire falls in love, their body starts to change. Where before they couldn't feel anything, now they can. The blood they've consumed starts to move through their veins as fast as it did back when the vampire was still alive. The vampire's strength, speed, agility, and senses are all amplified, and they're able to get...physically aroused. That's what blooding is. It provides a way for the vampire to be with their mate."

"So..." Castiel trailed off. "I've blooded you? Does that mean you love me?"

"Yes!" Dean barked. "And I hate it. Blooding makes us more powerful, but it's seen as a sign of weakness. Before, I couldn't feel pain. Now? I feel  _everything_. It makes me weak, susceptible to injuries I normally wouldn't feel. It's never happened to me because vampires mate for life, but now..."

"Does that mean Sam and Gabriel are blooded?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah. Sam's always been more human than the rest of us, even with his condition, so it probably didn't affect him much when the actual blooding happened. Gabriel was the same," Dean explained.

"Dean, you're not weak," Castiel said, stepping closer to the vampire. "Love makes us more powerful. Hell, you said it yourself. The blooding has made you stronger."

"You've certainly got a way with me, Cas, but you still need to leave. Blooding hasn't ever gone away in the past, but I'll find a way and get rid of it. The way it is now, it'll only hurt both of us."

"Hurt? Dean, I'm ecstatic! Finding out that the vampire I was so hopelessly in love with loved me back is the best thing that's happened to me since I found out I wasn't human. I'm happy, Dean. I want to be with you. Why don't you want to be with me?"

The hurt was evident in Castiel's voice, and it made Dean flinch. "I do, Cas, it's just..."

"Just what, Dean? Just that you can't accept you're in love with me because it makes you weak? Just because you think that you're impure and corrupted because you're not human, because you think you're going to damage me? Well, here's the thing, Dean: I may be a virgin, but I'm not weak. I'm not human, either. I can take whatever the hell you dish out, Dean. But how am I supposed to help you when you don't even want me to?"

Castiel wasn't nervous anymore. Anger had smothered any and all other emotions he felt. The scientist turned around and made for the door, unwilling to deal with Dean any longer. He stopped, however, when he heard the single, broken word that was his nickname coming from Dean's mouth.

"Cas..."

The scientist stared into the shadow, shutting the door he had just barely managed to grab before Dean had said his name. He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow and waiting expectantly.

Dean stepped out of the shadow into the starlight and Castiel gasped. Eyes that had been a beautiful green were now a glowing red that uncannily (and unsurprisingly) resembled blood. Dean's face was more defined, his cheekbones and jawline more pronounced. Large black horns erupted from the vampire's skull, spiraling out and down until they landed behind now-pointed ears. The points of fangs poked out from between Dean's top and bottom lip.

What got to Castiel, however, were the wings.

Large and black, they came up nearly a foot above Dean's shoulders and drug along the floor behind him. They shimmered in the starlight, looking absolutely otherworldly.

"You're beautiful..." Dean's eyes widened at the quiet statement from Castiel. The scientist stepped forward, pressing a hand to part of Dean's right wing. Dean shuddered and spread the massive feathered things, stretching them until they pressed against the walls on either side of the room.

"Do you really think that or are you just saying that to make me feel better about myself?" Dean asked.

"I mean it, Dean," Castiel said, fascinated. Dean's wings were beautiful, and so was the rest of him. The scientist stepped forward, reaching a hand out to rest on Dean's cheek. The vampire leaned into it with something that sounded suspiciously like a purr.

"I love you," Castiel breathed. Dean smiled and leaned in, kissing Castiel lightly on the lips. He wasn't prepared for the scientist to pull him in further, deepening the kiss.

* * *

 

Smut alert! Smut alert! Ding ding ding ding! *rings bell obnoxiously*

Sorry, but there is smut ahead. If you want to read it, by all means, keep scrolling.

If you don't want to read it, 

A) You probably shouldn't be reading an EXPLICIT rated fic.

B) You're a normal person reading this for the plot, and that's ok

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Thank you for reading this!

Continue for the smut!!

* * *

 

Castiel moaned as Dean's hand slid back and forth between his shoulder blades, the unspoken message clearly carrying across. Castiel wantonly pushed his tongue into Dean's mouth, delighting in the moan he received in return. The scientist stripped off his shirt, releasing the mental binds. Immediately his wings sprung forth, shaking with the relief of being released after such a long restriction. They curved forward to touch Dean's wings and the vampire started, pulling out of the kiss.

"What?" Castiel asked, delighting in the fact that Dean looked  _wrecked_.

 _"_ My wings are pretty damn sensitive, Cas. You keep that up and this isn't going to last very long," the vampire said, pulling Castiel back in as soon as he finished the last word.

The elf-angel smirked into the kiss, rubbing his wings along Dean's again. Dean retaliated by grabbing the base of Castiel's wing with one hand and grabbing his ass with the other. That got the vampire a squawk, something that made him become even more smug than he'd been before.

"Dean..." Castiel managed to get out between kisses, pulling the vampire's shirt over his head, grateful that it was cut from the bottom up and allowed the wings to slip freely through. "Bed..."

The vampire complied, hoisting Castiel up. The scientist wrapped his legs around Dean's hips as the vampire walked them over to his bed. Castiel kissed and nibbled down his neck until he was gently thrown onto the bed, wings fluttering in annoyance at having to separate from Dean.

That was soon remedied, however, as Dean climbed on top of Castiel, the elf-angel spreading his legs so the vampire could settle between them. They kissed as Dean unbuttoned Castiel's pants and boxers, pulling them off and flinging them unceremoniously across the room. Castiel did the same to Dean, moaning when the now-completely naked vampire settled between his legs again, gently grinding against him.

Dean pulled back and stared into Castiel's eyes. "Are you sure about this, Cas? I know you said you were a virgin, and..."

He was interrupted by Castiel pulling him into another kiss, grinding their hips together. "Dean, I want this so much it hurts. Now will you please shut up and kiss me?"

Dean complied, smiling. He ground against Castiel, loving the noises coming from the responsive scientist. Dean leaned away from Castiel and grabbed the lube he'd put in his nightstand, hopeful that what was currently happening would happen. Dean smiled as Castiel made an indignant noise, mad that Dean had separated from him.

"Sorry, babe, had to grab something to help along the way," the vampire apologized, nuzzling Castiel's nipple. The scientist shivered, watching Dean move lower and lower.

Castiel cried out rather loudly when Dean took his arousal into his mouth, immediately sinking to the root. Castiel could feel the tips of Dean's fangs scraping along his cock as the vampire started bobbing up and down. Castiel twisted his hand in Dean's hair, not really noticing the first finger that entered him. Dean inserted another one, making sure to be careful. He scissored the two and added a third after admitting he wasn't exactly a small man.

Castiel hadn't noticed the fingers at first, but when Dean entered the third and all three hit something inside of him, stars danced across his vision as he arched off the bed. A scream forced its way out of his lips and Castiel came to, panting rapidly. Dean didn't have his mouth on Castiel's cock anymore, just lightly stroking it with his hand while he made Castiel's world collapse with his other.

"Dean.. _.aaahh_...Dean, I'm _\- Oh god-_ I'm ready," Castiel somehow managed to get out between moans. Dean chuckled, removing his fingers and kissing his way up Castiel's body. He reunited their mouths, pushing Castiel's knees upward to see how far he could bend him.

It turned out to be all the way, and Dean only stopped when he had both of Castiel's legs on his shoulders. He kissed the elf-angel to distract him from the pain as he slid inside.

Castiel didn't feel any pain, just pleasure, and he let out an absolutely filthy moan that had Dean shuddering as he bottomed out inside Castiel. When Dean was fully inside of him there was a small bit of discomfort, but Castiel was okay with that. He waited a few seconds before bucking his hips up to meet Dean's, twin moans escaping the two.

"It's okay, Dean," Castiel said, kissing the obviously strained vampire. "You can move."

Dean began slowly, letting Castiel get used to it. When the scientist egged him on, he started moving faster, hitching his hips up on one thrust and hitting that spot, the one that had the beautifully debauched elf-angel below him letting out a scream, hips rising in earnest to meet Dean's. They kept going like that for a while, Dean hitting Castiel's prostate with an accuracy that could only be attributed to his inhumanity.

"Dean!  _OHhhhhhh god,_ Dean, I'm close, I..." Castiel's speech was interrupted by a choked-back scream as Dean hit that spot again.

"Come on, angel," Dean said, staring at Castiel's face. "Let me see you."

"Dean..." Castiel said, kissing the vampire. "Bite me..."

Dean was so startled he almost stopped. His hips slowed as he stared down at his mate in disbelief. "What?"

"Please," Castiel said, wriggling his hips to get Dean to go faster. "I'll be fine. We're technically a mated pair now. You can bite me."

Dean sighed, speeding up his hips again. "Okay, angel.  _Fuck._  You ready?"

Castiel nodded, tears escaping his eyes as Dean hit his prostate again. Dean leaned down and licked Castiel's neck, sinking his fangs in while his hands caressed Castiel's wings, and that was all it took. Castiel let out an inhuman shriek, coming as his eyes and hands glowing with that same power from the base. The vampire let out a soft moan, the combined tightness of Castiel's contracting insides and the amazing taste of the scientist's blood too much for him. He followed Castiel over the edge as the elf-angel put his hand to Dean's left shoulder, searing a handprint onto it.

Dean pulled out, detaching his fangs from Castiel's neck and collapsing next to the panting elf-angel.

"That was..." Castiel said, turning his head to look at Dean.

"Yeah," the vampire agreed, chuckling lightly. He softly touched the new handprint scar on his shoulder, smiling.

"Hey, Cas?" Dean asked.

"Yeah?" the tired elf-angel replied.

"You left one hell of a mark. Did you know that back before the elves left, some of them fell in love with vampires? Well, if they and the vamp were soulmates, they left a physical mark on each other. You have two small marks on your neck from my fangs, which will never heal, and I have your handprint on my shoulder. You know what that means?"

"We're soulmates, Dean," Castiel said, stowing his wings away so he could snuggle up to Dean, wrapping his arms around the vampire and kissing his chest lovingly. "Now shut up and sleep. I'm tired after our previous activity."

Dean chuckled, pulling the elf-angel closer to him. "Love ya, Cas."

"Love you too, Dean."

The pair drifted off to sleep together, their marks glowing lightly in response to the shared dreams they were having. And if Dean didn't let Castiel pull away from him for the entire night? Well, no one would ever know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, wasn't that wonderful?
> 
> Please comment, leave kudos, subscribe, do whatever the heck you wanna do.
> 
> I need some reassurance that my smut is better than E.L. James. If a few of you could comment and let me know how it was, that would be absolutely wonderful.
> 
> I'll update again soon!


	16. All Hung Up On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Morning After. Bets are won. Gabriel is a little shit (when is he not?) and Sam is hopelessly in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooooo sorry! I didn't mean for to take this long to update! I'm an arse.  
> Anyway, here's some fluffies. Enjoy!

Castiel woke, stretching out his arms and grinning when his hand landed on the chest of a particular vampire. Said vampire was awake, lying on his side and looking at Castiel, his head propped up on his hand.

"Morning, beautiful," Dean said.                  

Castiel smiled, turning over, and proceeded to groan in pain. "Owwwwww, I'm sore. What on earth did we do last night? I mean, I know what we did, but-." His speech was cut off as he winced, a sharp pain shooting up his spine.

Dean grimaced, turning over to reach behind him and grab a glass of water and a couple pain pills. "Sorry, Cas. I should've been gentler. It was your first time, and I lost control like a freakin' newborn."

Castiel laughed, taking the glass and downing it, swallowing the pills. "If you had gone any easier on me, I might have killed you. Nice battle scar, by the way."

Dean turned his head, looking at his shoulder and smiling. "Yeah, isn't it pretty? I can wear it proudly, knowing it means I finally got my angel in bed with me."

"I'm not your angel, Dean Winchester," Castiel growled half-heartedly. Dean laughed.

"Love you too, babe," the vampire replied. He made a move to get out of bed but was stopped by a pale hand shooting out and grabbing his wrist. Annoyed blue eyes stared into curious green.

"Dean Winchester, if you leave this bed, I will be forced to kill you."

The vampire laughed, returning to the bed and his adorable elf-angel who was most definitely  **not** a morning person. The aforementioned hybrid relinquished his hold and collapsed back onto the bed. 

 _Yep,_  Dean thought amusedly.  _Not a morning person at all._

"I hope you know I heard that," came a grumbling voice from somewhere near Castiel's dark mop of hair peeking out of the pillows.

"Well, yeah," Dean said, smirking. "We've got a soul bond now. We can hear everything the other is thinking."

"Wonderful," Castiel said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Does that mean you're going to be as much of an asshole about it as possible?"

Dean smiled, running his hand through the messy (and incredibly adorable) black bedhead of his love. "I might be inclined to mysteriously have a fantasy about you in the middle of a serious meeting..."

The vampire narrowly avoided a strangely accurate fist that came past his face. Something that sounded like "fucking vampires" came from the pillows before Castiel flipped over onto his back, blowing hair out of his face.

"I really, really want to eat, but I also really, really don't want to leave this bed," Castiel stated, the ultimate predicament facing him. Comfortable bed warmed by an attractive vampire or the cold air of the room and Crowley's smug "I told you so" voice over the intercom?

To Castiel, the choice was easy. He threw the covers back up over himself and Dean and snuggled as close to the vampire as he possibly could. Dean chuckled, laying his head on the pillow and staring at Castiel.

"I can feel you looking at me. And I'm not cute," Castiel grumbled, this time from the general vicinity of Dean's chest.

"Yes, you are," Dean told the elf-angel. "Cutest hybrid scientist with a vicious mean streak I've ever met."

"You're pushing it, Winchester," Castiel warned, looking up at the vampire. Dean just raised his eyebrows and flashed the most flirtatious, feral smile Castiel had ever seen, his intentions perfectly clear. He grinned in the direction of the wall across from their bed.

Castiel glanced down at the foot of the bed, looking for what Dean was grinning about, when he saw the obviously tented blankets.

"Oh, fuck you, Dean," Castiel said, blushing and returning his face to Dean's chest.

"Well, that is the idea," Dean deadpanned. Castiel snorted.

"No way. I'm too sore."

"No you're not. You can feel the painkillers kicking in and the worst is gone. I'll be gentle, I promise." Dean put on his best puppy face.

"You've learned that infernal face from Sam, haven't you?" Castiel asked accusingly. "Goddammit, why can't I say no to you?"

"Because I'm the most attractive being in the universe and you can't help but be pulled in my insanely good looks," Dean said, puffing out his chest. Castiel smacked him before he rolled over and pulled the vampire on top of him, kissing him deeply with a growl.

"You'd better not be lying about the gentle part."

Needless to say, they didn't leave the bed for a  _very_ long time after that.

* * *

 

In a room halfway across the deck, Bobby reluctantly handed Ellen a two-week free meal ticket. The blond cackled. "Told you so."

* * *

 

On the flight deck, Sam and Gabriel were in the middle of an argument.

"Gabriel, you had no business telling the ENTIRE SHIP that Dean and Castiel got together! And you didn't need to put it so crudely!! Who the hell walks up to people and just out of nowhere goes, 'Hey, guess what, Dean and Cas are screwing! Thanks and have a good day!'?"

"Me, obviously," Gabriel retorted. "Oh please, Moose, you knew it was going to happen. Those two idiots have been hopelessly in love since they met. Besides, I didn't tell the entire ship! I just told the crew!"

"It wasn't your business! Dean and Cas are probably planning to tell us all later when the time is right!"

"When they're not screwing like the bunnies they so totally are? C'mon, Moose. We all knew it was coming. Just like everyone knew we were coming. Because, you know, you made me scream so loud that the entire ship knew exactly when I forgot my own name."

"Gabriel!" Sam exclaimed, blushing.

"All I'm saying, Moose, is that every relationship on this damn starship is called by  _someone_. Dean called ours, the entire ship called him and Cas, etcetera, etcetera. They won't be surprised that everyone knows, trust me."

Sam sighed, unable to disagree with the infamous Trickster's logic. "You know I'm only shutting up because I love you, right?" He walked over and sat in the chair next to his mate.

Gabriel smirked. "Yup. We're such an odd couple, a Moose and a Trickster. Sounds like a bad episode of  _Rocky and Bullwinkle_."

"You know fully well that show is the only reason Crowley came up with Moose and Squirrel as nicknames for me and Dean, Gabe. I've heard every joke in the universe about moose and squirrels. Yours was unnecessary."

"None of my jokes are unnecessary, Samsquatch," Gabriel pouted. "That was cruel."

Sam smiled, pulling the Trickster into his lap. "Can I make it up to you somehow?"

Gabriel grinned. "Oh, hell yes."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos, comment, bookmark, subscribe, whatever you want to do! I'd really appreciate it!
> 
> I'm running out of already written chapters, so I'll try and write some more. I need a vote, though: should I hurry up and do a happily ever after, or should I do something with the other supernatural species coming back? 
> 
> I myself think it'd be kind of boring to just call it off because everyone got together, but that's just me. Please leave some comments letting me know which one you'd like!'
> 
> If there's an idea for a chapter you had, send me a message and tell me about it, and I'll try to include it.
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos, everyone! There'll be another chapter coming soon!


	17. The Ship Has Sailed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Morning After. Fluff. Gabriel being a loveable jerk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really, really short chapter! I'm sorry! *hides in corner*
> 
> My mom rescinded my wi-fi privileges on my computer and my iPod, and this is the first chance in a week I've had to update.
> 
> Love you all! Thanks for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, hits, and subscriptions!

Dean and Castiel walked onto the crew deck the next morning holding hands. Gabriel turned around in his chair, took one look at them, and burst into laughter.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing. Lovebirds," Gabriel said.

"Oh, lay off them, Gabriel," Sam said, placing his hands on his bond-mate's shoulders. "Nice bond mark by the way, Dean."

Castiel blushed while Dean grinned. "Thanks. Angel here put it on me."

Said angel smacked Dean on the opposite shoulder.

"I see you put your mark on him as well, Dean-o," Gabriel said, smirking. "You two must have really bonded for the marks to be that obvious."

"Well," Dean said, "He is part angel. They leave the most obvious marks, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Sam said. "Do you think the angels will ever come back?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. Have you guys heard anything from the other ships?"

"Yeah," Gabriel said, turning back to his computer. "They scanned the entire surface and all of the mutants are dead. All of them."

Dean and Sam looked at each other and then at Castiel, surprised.

"You killed all of them, Cas," Dean said. "How?"

"I don't know," Castiel said. "I guess the angel that was my father was really powerful or something. You said my grandmother was elven royalty, right? Back after I killed the mutant at the base, you said I was the most powerful being in the universe. It makes sense that I killed all of them, right?"

Gabriel turned back around. "It does make sense. We'll send a team to the surface with the radiation bomb and get the terraformation started. Dean, Cas needs to learn more of his powers, so teach him some more with the Archive stuff."

Dean nodded, turning and pulling Castiel's hand, heading out of the room. "I left a tablet in the training room with all the magic information for you on it."

Gabriel waved to their retreating forms, smirking. "Have fun, lovebirds."

Sam smiled. "They're adorable. I haven't seen two people that much in love since... well, ever."

Gabriel laughed, winding an arm around the moose's waist. "They are adorable. Wanna watch them train?"

"No," Sam said, leaning in to kiss Gabriel softly. "Let's let them keep their privacy. I'm hungry. Want to go get something from Crowley?"

"No," Gabriel replied, pulling Sam back down to kiss him. "I think I'd rather have you."

 


	18. Level Up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up immediately after the last chapter. Castiel and Dean are the cutest thing in the world, Castiel is a badass, Gabriel needs to be punished, and Dean is a *gasp* (*spoiler*).
> 
> Clue: THIS BOY IS A ___________!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you all enjoy the oneshot?
> 
> That was my excuse for not updating Starlight in forever.
> 
> Anyway, I was on a YouTube trek when I saw the SPN "Fan Fiction" episode's singing of "Carry On My Wayward Son" and immediately burst into tears on the first note. Then I was reminded that I have vampire Winchesters that needed updated, so I decided to come here and give y'all another chapter :D
> 
> I don't own anything and I don't have a beta, so if you see anything that's grammatically incorrect or a dropoff sentence (I wanted to type something there but just left it blank so it's like "Show me again when your ?") LET ME KNOW PLEASE
> 
> I promise I won't be offended. I'm a writer. My entire life has been people pointing out grammatical errors. 
> 
> Enjoy! Btw there's smut impending!

 “Dean?” Castiel asked as they arrived in the training room, still holding hands.

“Yeah, Cas?” 

“Do you really think I’m the most powerful being in the universe?” 

Dean smiled, leaning down to kiss Castiel. “Yes, babe. And I’m proud of it. Even if the angels and elves came back, I doubt any of them could surpass you.” 

Castiel grinned and kissed Dean on the cheek, letting go of his hand to run into the training room. Large and expansive, it looked for all intents and purposes like an empty gym room. Upon closer inspection, however, there were small pores in the floor, walls, and ceiling, and one entire wall was glass that looked out onto Earth. Sam had modified the room for Castiel’s use with his magic after the other room he’d been training in had been, well, incinerated.

“So, how exactly are we going to do this, Dean? When I trained with Sam, all he had me do was aim for a few targets and get rid of them,” Castiel stated, looking around the room.

“Well, for starters, I was thinking we’d test your ability with shields. A few of the angels I knew could use their power as a shield to block hits, knives, even other angels’ power,” Dean said, grabbing a bag from right outside the door. 

“You’re not going to throw knives at me, are you?” Castiel asked, a bit nervous.

“Nope. Well, yes, but they’re rubber knives. You won’t feel a thing if they hit you,” Dean informed his mate, smirking.

“Alright,” Castiel said, taking a defensive stance and closing his eyes. He let his wings take form, spreading them out to stretch them before curling them around towards his body. Taking a deep breath, he envisioned a shield in front of him. Holding out a hand, he slowly waved his hand inward, the universal signal for 'Come at me'.

Dean threw the knife as slowly as he could, and Castiel’s eyes opened at the last second. They glowed bright blue as the knife froze 6 inches from the angel’s face.

“I think you’ve mastered it,” Dean joked.

Castiel chuckled, still concentrating, eyes still glowing. The knife dropped to the floor as he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stood up straight, relinquishing his hold on the power. He opened his eyes and smirked at the vampire standing across from him.

“Uh, Cas?” Dean asked, a little breathless. “I think you just got another of your grandmother’s looks.”

Castiel cocked his head to the side and turned to look at the window. Gasping, he brought his hand up to his teeth. His canines were elongated and razor sharp, nicking his finger when he touched one. Contracting them into his gums with just a thought, he turned back to Dean, who was breathing rather hard for someone who didn’t have to.

“I don’t know why I find those so hot,” Dean said, walking over to Castiel, “but I do. Bring ‘em back out.” The vampire grabbed Castiel's hand and sucked the blood from the small puncture, smirking expectantly.

Castiel shook his head and kept his mouth closed, looking at Dean meaningfully. The vampire sighed, closing his eyes.

For Castiel, it was still unnerving to watch Dean transition to his real form. It looked like he was submerged under running, crystal clear water. All of his features became fuzzy, blurred, until one sudden moment when the wings, tail, and horns appeared and Dean snapped back into focus.

The vampire grinned at Castiel, red eyes glinting and fangs reflecting the lights in the training room.

“Oh, alright,” Castiel said, letting his fangs slide into place. They were so long that they poked out of his mouth onto his bottom lip.

“Beautiful,” the mated pair said at the same time, the bond between them having made the word synchronized. Castiel laughed while Dean smirked.

“Guess this means you can bite me back now, angel.” Dean said flirtily. Castiel punched him lightly on the arm.

“But in all seriousness, Cas,” Dean said, sobering up. “You can bite me back. In order to change someone into a vampire, they have to have at least a little human in them, right?”

“Yes,” Castiel replied. “Not entirely, though. I remember Pamela telling me her sire had fae blood in him.”

“He did, the crazy old bastard,” Dean said, chuckling. “Anyway, the process of turning someone means that you have to make an exchange. The vampire has to take almost all of your blood, or if you’re dying, all that’s left, and you have to drink the vampire’s blood. Then you have to die with the blood in your system in order to become a vampire. When I turn people, it doesn’t work like that. Sam died _because_ of my blood, not because I had drained all of his. Ellen, Bobby, and Jo all died from blood loss because Sam drained them when he attacked them.”

“So if I drink your blood while you’re drinking mine, possibly in bed,” Castiel said, blushing slightly at the thought, “Then you could turn me? I could become a vampire?”

Dean nodded. “And I don’t know what that would do to you. If you were only human, I’d say no in a heartbeat, but since you’re not… You could survive it, Cas. Or your human part would be replaced by vampire and you’d go through some kind of change. I think you’d retain your supernatural features, but you’d have to drink blood and you wouldn’t age. I’d like to try it, but…”

“We’ll do some research in the Archives before we do anything like that, okay?” Castiel suggested. Dean nodded.

“Those fangs are still hot, though. And your eyes… Wow.”

Castiel turned to look in the glass again, but was stopped by Dean’s arms shooting out to grab his. The vampire shook his head, looked straight into Castiel’s eyes, and opened the bond.

The elf-angel gasped, seeing but not. In his mind, he saw what Dean saw through those eerily beautiful red eyes. Black ringed by gold surrounded by the bluest cerulean Castiel had seen in his life. His irises were ringed too, by a dark, dark blue that brought out the brilliant colors in the center of the iris.

“Do they really look like that?” Castiel asked his mate, still in awe of the entire blue spectrum of the rainbow in his eyes.

“Yeah, Cas, they really do,” Dean replied, loving his mate’s reaction. “I’m going to close the bond now, you ready?”

“Wait,” Castiel said. He brought his hands up to Dean’s face, fingers trailing over the strangely elven pointed ears. “Look.”

And then Castiel unleashed what he saw into Dean’s mind. The sudden intake of breath from the vampire made Castiel smile as he continued to project Dean’s beautiful, otherworldly features into the other’s mind.

“Dean Winchester, you are beautiful, and don’t you ever tell me I am wrong when I inform you of that, alright?” Castiel asked, still sending the images over. He also added little bursts of the immense amount of love he had for the vampire, sliding his right hand down to the bond-mark and letting his hand take its proper place, covering the mark perfectly.

Dean gasped again as every bit of emotion Castiel felt for him rushed into the bond, making it swell and strengthen, the little golden thread becoming impossible to cut. The vampire leant forward and pressed a kiss to Castiel’s bond-mark, sealing the circuit, as each and every emotion the two felt for each other circled between them.

They were one, nothing sexual about it, minds and hearts melded completely. When Castiel removed his hand and pulled Dean to him for a kiss, the circuit dimmed, but did not disappear completely.

“I love you, Dean Winchester, with all my heart. And even if you somehow manage to make me even less human than I already am, I will still love you, even if I’m trying to kill you,” Castiel said, pressing his forehead to Dean’s and looking into those beautiful red eyes.

“And I love you, Castiel Novak, for making me feel the most human I’ve felt in milennia,” Dean replied, kissing his angel on the nose.

“If you two lovebirds are quite done with the lightshow, can you please report to the crew deck immediately? It’s kind of an emergency,” Gabriel deadpanned over the intercom in the training room.

“Light show?” Castiel asked, confused.

“You two were lighting up like that Christmas tree we had a couple months ago. Golden light, swirling around the two of you. I had to drop the sunshade on the window in the room so the other ships wouldn’t think we had some kind of engine malfunction and were now leaking fairy dust all over the universe,” Gabriel said, the smirk evident in his voice.

“Oh, shut up, Gabriel,” Dean remarked.

“Sure thing, Dean-o, as long as you come up here so I can see your pretty face in person. By the way, might wanna put your horns away first. There are some people from other ships on this one and they wanna talk to your bondmate. I’m pretending to type on my computer as I send this to you through my telecom, but you need to get up here because they’re pissed and Samoose can’t stall them for much longer,” Gabriel said.

“Alright, we’re coming,” Castiel replied, rolling his eyes. He pulled his canines back into his teeth and made his wings go into the ethereal plane, binding them tight with his magic so they wouldn’t try to escape and make themselves known.

“I wonder why they’re pissed off? They can’t have figured out what really happened on the planet’s surface, can they?” Dean asked, appearance back to normal.

“I have no idea,” Castiel said, making sure he looked as close to normal as he could in the mirror. “I don’t look exactly human, though..”

“It’s okay, I think your eyes will distract them from the ears. They’re pretty mesmerizing,” Dean told his bondmate, kissing him on the nose.

The two headed out of the room and down the hall to the teleporter, Dean punching in the coordinates for the crew deck while Castiel tried to figure out why the other ships would send people to talk to him.

“And when we’re done with them,” Dean said as they reappeared, voice husky with want, “We’re going to my quarters. I’m hungry.”

Castiel shivered at the double meaning of those words, composing himself as he stepped onto the crew deck and into the shark tank.

Alastair, Balthazar, a tall, fat bald vampire, Kevin, a short Chinese woman that Castiel assumed was Kevin’s mother, and Micheal all stood around Sam. The moose turned and saw his salvation, bounding over to Castiel and Dean in a few steps.

“Thank god you’re here, they’ve been waiting for a while and were getting impatient.”

“Dean and I were training,” Castiel said, peeking around the broad shoulders of his technical brother-in-law at the group. They did not look happy, with the exception of Kevin and Balthazar. They looked…bored. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, Alastair managed to get onto the _Avenger_ ’s computer and find the scan for the mutants. He showed the scan to Zachariah, that bald vampire in the white shirt, who doesn’t outrank Balthazar but thinks he does. Balthazar told him it was a simulation, but Alastair swore up and down he saw Castiel’s light envelop the planet.

“Zachariah insisted on coming over here to either yell at you or interrogate you, no one knows, and once he wants something, he’s incredibly annoying until he gets it. Balthazar had no choice but to bring him over here. Michael is insurance, and I don’t even know why Alastair is here,” Sam explained. “We called Kevin and his mom just because Kevin’s a genius at dealing with Zachariah and Linda can put the fear of God in anyone or anything.”

“Alright,” Castiel said, annoyed, “I’ll talk to them.”

He walked over to the group, the Winchester brothers in tow, and was immediately enveloped in a hug by Balthazar.

“Cassie! How lovely to see you!” the vampire said a bit too loudly in his ear, while in the other he sent a telecom saying “Don’t trust Alastair or Zachariah. Somehow they haven’t smelled that you’re not human, but if you get even the least bit angry at them, I think they’ll be able to smell your power.”

Castiel nodded imperceptibly, then replied, “Balthazar, this is certainly a surprise. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

“Oh, Michael just wanted to see you again. You see, he can’t get enough of the human that’s got Dean Winchester wrapped around his little finger. And he wanted to thank you again for getting rid of that red-headed hag that we somehow managed to put up with for five millenia,” Balthazar said cheerily.

Dean growled behind Castiel, but the elf-angel sent some reassurance through the bond. The scientist opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Zachariah.

“That red-headed hag,” the bald vampire said in what was supposed to be a menacing tone but came across more like a child throwing a tantrum, “was my mate.”

“You two always did suit each other,” Castiel heard Gabriel mutter from across the room. The elf-angel had to cover his laugh with a cough.

“So what brings you here besides Micheal, Balthazar?” Castiel asked. “You can’t have brought this entire party for no reason, can you?”

“Oh no, Alastair and Zachariah here wanted to speak to you for some reason. I think they wanted to accuse you of something, if I remember right,” Balthazar replied, eyes glinting dangerously.

“That’s right,” Alastair said. “We want to know how you got rid of all the mutants. And what that light was that got the entire surface of the planet all glowy.”

“Easy,” Castiel said. “Lucifer and his teammates were working on things other than the radiation bomb, you know. I was looking at their research before I went down, and I found out they’d made an industrial strength flash grenade but didn’t know how powerful it was. When we were in the lab, I grabbed it in case I got attacked. When I did get attacked, I pulled the pin and threw the flash grenade. The mutant had pulled my helmet off, so I passed out from oxygen deprivation before I could see the effects of the flash grenade, but apparently the light shone that side of the planet. Because it was so bright, and because of the sun, it must have given off the illusion that the light somehow enveloped the entire planet.”

“Hmm,” Zachariah said. “And how did you kill all the mutants?”

“I don’t know,” Castiel said, sounding as innocent as he could possibly manage. “It must have been divine intervention.”

That got a laugh out of Gabriel, who immediately stopped when Alastair and Zachariah glared at him. “Sorry, computer gave me an error message.”

“Really?” Zachariah said. “What error message?”

 “Well,” Gabriel said, a dangerous smirk on his face. The Winchesters and Castiel shared a look. They knew what that smirk meant.

"Here it comes," Castiel muttered quietly. Sam huffed a laugh.

“I was trying to make a password for my new computer encryption," Gabriel continued,  "and I used ‘Zachariah’s dick’ as the password, but the computer said it was too short. Must have missed a letter or something.”

Zachariah turned completely red in the face at _that_ , and made a noise not unlike a squealing pig. Castiel snorted softly, but not softly enough. Zachariah turned on him, moving faster than Castiel thought a man his size could, even if he was a vampire.

“You stupid, indignant little human! Here I am, trying to figure out what the hell you’re doing, and you’re making a fool out of me with your stupid ship’s captain, who has the mind of a three-year-old, I might add. I should kill you for this, you idiotic little swine. You’re nothing more than a food source,” Zachariah sneered.

And then he uttered the words that made Castiel snap. “Although, I guess Dean Winchester’s blood whore gets free run of the ship, hmm?”

Dean growled and made to grab Zachariah, but Castiel got there first. Placing his hand on Zachariah’s neck, he lifted the vampire off the ground with one arm, the other folded neatly behind his back. Anger radiated off the elf-angel as he lifted the now-panicking Zachariah higher and higher.

“For your information, jackass,” Castiel said, fangs elongating, “I’m neither human nor a blood whore. Dean and I are mated, which is more than I can say for you and your sorry little redheaded witch of a girlfriend. She was just using you to get a high-ranking position in the council. You two weren’t even mated, were you? You just thought you were because of her lies.”

At the look of terror on Zachariah’s face, Castiel assumed that he must look somewhat like the angel of death. Deciding to complete the image, he let his wings materialize and spread them behind himself menacingly. From the look of sheer terror on Zachariah's face, he decided the tactic worked.

“Gabriel?” Castiel asked, voice eerily calm.

“Yes, Cas?”

“Send this bigoted idiot down to the brig, please. Give him a few rations of blood, but make sure it’s from racially diverse humans. No Caucasians. Or females,” Castiel said, predatory grin spreading even wider as Zachariah’s eyes widened in disgust.

“You got it, boss,” Gabriel said as golden light enveloped the wriggling vampire in Castiel’s hand.

“And while you’re at it, send Alastair down there as well. He’s been a pain in the ass for far too long,” Castiel continued. “Put them in the same cell. I’m sure they’ll enjoy each other’s company.”

Alastair let out a choked sound as Gabriel sent him to the brig with Zachariah.

Castiel rolled his shoulders, swinging his arm around to get rid of the feeling of Zachariah’s skin as he pushed his wings back into the ethereal plane and pulled his canines back into his gums. Turning around, he saw awed looks on the faces of everyone in the room.

“What?” Castiel asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Well, I had heard the rumors about you not being entirely human, but I guess they were true,” Kevin commented.

“My, Cassie, if you weren’t already Dean’s, I’d take you for myself,” Balthazar teased. “That was pretty hot.”

“The fangs are new,” Sam said.

Dean walked forward and pulled Castiel into a hug, kissing his cheek. “Guess I don’t need to defend your honor anymore, huh angel?”

“I guess not,” Castiel said, looking at his arm. He didn’t feel any different, but somehow, he’d gotten stronger.

“I think it’s because of the amulet that broke, Cas. It kept you human, and the effects wore off gradually. You’re getting your real strength back,” Sam said.

Castiel clenched his hand into a fist and then unclenched it, still marveling at his strength.

“Well, I’ve certainly had enough for today. Balthazar, Michael, wonderful to see you, but you really should get back to your ship to deal with the aftermath of Zachariah and Alastair’s mysterious disappearance,” Gabriel suggested.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Balthazar said, smirking. “We’ll come up with something.”

The two headed into the teleporter and vanished. Kevin and his mother walked to Castiel and Dean.

“That was pretty cool, Cas,” Kevin said, smiling. “Show me again sometime when your powers are fully developed, okay?”

 Castiel nodded in agreement and let the not-so-teenager hug him. He shook Linda’s hand, giving her a respectful nod.

The Tran family left to go back to the _Amaterasu_ , leaving the Winchesters, Castiel, and Gabriel on the crew deck of the _Impala_ alone. Immediately, Gabriel burst into laughter.

“I don't know about about anyone else, but I think that went rather well. So much for not telling anyone about your little condition, eh Cas?” Gabriel managed to say through his giggles.

Castiel smiled. “It was worth it even though I had to touch that pudgy piece of shit.”

“Cas,” Dean said behind the elf-angel. Castiel turned to the vampire, who was again breathing a bit too hard for someone who didn’t have to. Getting the situation immediately, Castiel grabbed Dean’s hand, nodded to Sam and Gabriel, and was immediately whisked down the hallway by an incredibly aroused vampire.

“Don’t forget to use protection!” Gabriel hollered after the two.

Sam shook his head. “Really, Gabriel? It’s not like Cas can get pregnant.”

“I know, but it’s fun to tease them” Gabriel said. “So, Samsquatch, got anything planned in the next few hours?”

“Why?” Sam asked, a little wary.

“Because,” Gabriel said, pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. “I’ve been a _bad_ boy, making jokes like that around Zachariah, and I think you need to tie me up and punish me.”

Sam scoffed, internally cursing his insatiable downstairs brain for showing interest. “Those can’t hold you.”

“They can if they’re specially made to. Silver and titanium, baby,” Gabriel informed his mate, winking. “I’m not getting out of these unless you let me.”

Sam stood, frozen for a second, until he made his decision. Grabbing Gabriel and hoisting him over his shoulder, he ran down the hallway to the teleporter.

 “Smart choice, moose!” Gabriel said, laughing at Sam's enthusiasm.

* * *

 Ding ding ding! SMUT ALERT!!!

This is gonna be way better than the chapter I posted on FanFiction nearly a year ago. I promise.

I'm currently listening to the dubstep version of "Smoke Weed Everyday" because... YouTube.

I'm switching to Fall Out Boy's "Just One Yesterday" tho because it's the PERFECT Destiel song.

Seriously, listen to it while thinking reading this smut and you'll see how right I am.

Anyway, pardon the music break. There's smut up ahead and it's going to be beautiful, I promise.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in Castiel and Dean’s now-shared room, Castiel was currently being stripped

“Dean, I liked that shirt,” the elf-angel complained halfheartedly as said shirt was ripped to pieces.

“I don’t care,” Dean said, ripping his clothes and Castiel’s clothes off at the same time. “I want you, right now.”

 Castiel shivered at his tone, Dean already transformed into his real form. His voice was the lowest and huskiest the elf-angel had ever heard it. He pushed Dean backwards on the bed and leaned over him, kissing him with all his might. Growling, Dean flipped them over and ground into Castiel, biting lightly at the scientist’s neck when he arched his back and presssed his head into the pillow.

 “God, Dean, what’s gotten into you..Ah!” Castiel asked, his speech deteriorating as Dean continued to grind into him.

 "You," Dean said, kissing Castiel determinedly. He kissed down the angel's body, paying special attention to the spots that made Castiel gasp. When his mouth closed around the scientist's dick, Castiel let out a long, drawn-out moan.

"Dean," he gasped, arching up into the vampire's mouth. "That feels...Oh, God!...amazing, but if you nick me with a fang...unh!...I might have to kill you."

Dean chuckled around Castiel's cock, the resulting vibrations causing the elf-angel's back to arch and his wings to unfurl. Castiel panted around his now extended-fangs as Dean continued his ministrations.

Using all of his willpower, Castiel pulled Dean's mouth off, reaching for the lube on their nightstand. 

"I'm pretty sure I could come and still be able to move on, but today needs to be about you, Dean. The first was about me, and I remember reading somewhere that mates are supposed to have a give-and-take relationship that goes both ways," he said professionally, squirting lube onto his fingers.

Dean's eyes positively  _glowed_ at that. "You wanna top me, angel?" He growled.

"Hell yes," Castiel answered with a growl of his own, devouring the vampire's mouth. Tasting himself, he moaned, reaching a hand down to tease his fingertips along the side of Dean's member before moving lower and gently sliding the tip of his finger into Dean's body.

“You know, Cas,” Dean panted, “You can’t hurt me.”

“I'm aware,” Castiel said, smirking as Dean gasped when his prostate was nudged. “But I want to make this as good for you as it was for me our first time.”

"Fuck," came Dean's reply, taking three fingers now. He groaned into Castiel's neck, threading his fingers into the elf-angel's feathers. Castiel lightly bit the vampire's nipple in retaliation before removing his fingers and positioning himself.

"Ready?"

"For you?" Dean asked, sliding his arms around Castiel's neck and winking. "Always."

Both moaned as Castiel slid home, the bond amplifying the pleasure until it felt like they were a single person, not two joined in the most intimate way. The elf-angel tried his hardest to last as he began thrusting into the vampire, feeling accomplished every time Dean let out a pleasured noise. 

They reached their peaks, Dean first, completely untouched. One of Castiel's hands might have been twisted in Dean's wing, the other on his shoulder covering the bondmark, but who needed to know? Besides, Castiel followed directly after, Dean's fangs deep in his neck, so it didn't really matter, did it?

As they collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, Castiel pulled Dean into his arms and whispered, “I love you.”

"I love you too, Cas. Damn, I didn't know you could make me come untouched like that. That thing you did to my wing..." 

Castiel chuckled. "You did the same thing to me our first time."

"Well, one thing's for sure, we're _definitely_ doing that again," Dean said, rolling over and kissing Castiel before snuggling against him. 

Right then and there, Castiel vowed he’d never, ever leave Dean Winchester, even if it meant never going back to his own time.

Not even if it killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yasss, beatdown! Who's with me that those guys got what was coming to them?
> 
> What'd y'all think? The smut is completely rewritten from my old one because the old version was short and terrible, so I churned out a new sex scene in an hour.
> 
> This is my last already written chapter, so it's all new territory from now on! I'll try to update every one to two weeks but I got one of the lead parts in my school play and I'm suuuper busy after school, so those are relative. I'm also working on two oneshots that I'll upload soon, I promise!
> 
> I love you all! Thanks for all the kudos on Falling Stars Don't Ask For Directions!


	19. Earth Makeover: Stage 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The terraforming mission begins. Castiel and Dean are fluffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a horrible person for not updating for almost a month, but here's an 8-page update to make up for it!
> 
> This is either the second to last or third to last chapter, so be prepared for quite a lot of stuff happening in the next few chapters.
> 
> If you notice a grammatical error, TELLL MEEEE. I don't have a beta so I make mistakes and don't catch them all the time.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> I don't own anything except for the concept/plot.

Castiel stirred as he slowly woke up, groaning quietly. He smiled as Dean’s arm twitched but he didn’t wake up. Castiel stretched, yawning, before slowly climbing out of bed and walking to the bathroom.

He relieved himself before walking to the sink, washing his hands and rinsing his face before toweling off and glancing in the mirror.

What he saw made him gasp.

There, light but still obvious, was a small imprint of a leaf on his forehead, on the left side next to his temple. It looked like the leaf that had been in his necklace, and it could be a birthmark if not for the intricate gold net it seemed to be made out of.

Castiel flipped his hair back to its normal position. It covered the birthmark-like leaf, so at least he didn’t have to wear makeup or something.

“Cas?” Dean called from the bedroom.

“I’m fine, Dean! Just noticed something new,” Castiel replied, walking out of the room and heading back to bed.

“What is it?” Dean asked, turning on his side and supporting his head on his arm.

Castiel pulled back his hair in answer. Dean thumbed at the mark, laughing.

“You really are royalty, Cas. This mark means you’re going to inherit the kingdom of the Elves. Or, it used to mean that. I don’t know if they’ve established a new kingdom in their dimension or not,” Dean said. 

“I’m staying here, so I can afford to wait for them,” Castiel replied, kissing Dean’s forehead. 

“I thought you were still working on the time travel device?” Dean asked, hopeful. 

“I was, until a few days ago when we bonded. Dean, I want to stay with you. I love you, and I had no one in my own time. “ 

“I thought you had your siblings,” Dean queried.

“There’s something I didn’t tell you,” Castiel admitted. 

“There’s nothing you could tell me that would make me stop loving you,” Dean said back, grabbing his mate’s hand.

“Donovan, Gabrielle, Jared, and Jensen, my siblings, are all dead. They were dead in my time.”

“What?!” Dean asked. “How?”

“I was looking at the Archives the other day, the day I stopped working on the time machine. I noticed a strange coincidence in the Archive. ‘Family of four crashes on interstate. There were no survivors.’ I didn’t think anything of it, but it happened the day I disappeared. Donovan must have gotten the news and was so shocked that he lost control of the car and slammed it into the side of the interstate,” Castiel explained.

“But it was because you left that he crashed,” Dean replied. “Wouldn’t you going back help save your family?”

“No,” Castiel said sadly. “The car was faulty. They said that they found a fault in the engine. It would have exploded the moment that Donovan got up to the ninety miles an hour that that interstate allows. They were going to die either way, and there’s nothing I could have done to stop it.”

Dean wiped away his bonded’s tears and kissed him, rolling him over onto his back. “You’re right, babe. There’s nothing you could have done. And if they knew what you’ve done here? Freeing our planet from a race that we have no idea where they came from, helping get a terraformation bomb, etcetera. You’ve done so much for us, Cas, and your family would be proud.”

Castiel smiled, sobbing quietly, as he pulled Dean down for a kiss. The vampire happily kissed his mate’s tears away, pulling back when he felt the flood weaken a little.

“I love you, Castiel Novak. I’m your family now, along with Sam, Bobby, Gabriel, Ellen, Jo, and everyone else on this ship that cares about you. Your family would be so proud of you for everything you’ve done. I’m sure that wherever they are, they know what you’ve done and they love you all the more for it. 

“Thank you, Dean. I love you too,” Castiel replied, wiping his tears and kissing the vampire affectionately.

“Speaking of the terraformer,” Dean said, sitting up and stretching, “isn’t the test today?" 

“Yes,” Castiel agreed, stretching as well. “I should get down to the crew deck so I can help them get everything ready. Did Gabriel do the scans I asked him to?”

“He should have,” Dean said, sending the pilot a telecom.

“Good morning, lovebirds!” came Gabriel’s voice from the telecom. “There are absolutely no signs of life on Earth. I scanned with all of our scanners we have—twice. We’re good to go.”

“That’s wonderful, Gabriel. Tell the crew to get the shuttle ready. I’ll be on the crew deck momentarily,” Castiel informed him, getting out of the bed and putting some boxers and sweatpants on. Pulling a shirt over his head, he ran a hand through his ever-unruly hair and kissed Dean, who was still in the bed, on the cheek.

“I’ll see you whenever you want to show up on the crew deck,” the elf-angel said, walking out the door.

Dean smiled, leaning back onto the pillows. He could still feel the remnants of last night’s exercise in his body. Stretching again, he got out of the bed and walked into the shower. Smirking as said remnants began running down his leg, the vampire washed himself quickly and sent Castiel a telecom: “In the shower right now. Your cum’s running down my leg. Wish you were here to lick it away.”

\-------

Castiel had just gotten out of the teleporter when he received Dean’s message. Coughing a little bit and turning red, he sent one in reply: “I wish I was there too. We can do last night again and I’ll perform my licking duties tomorrow in the shower, if that’s okay with you.”

“Totally ok. We can switch tonight. Be sure to be thinking about that while you’re trying to do serious science things.”

Castiel chuckled. “I’ll do my best. See you on the crew deck.”

Adjusting himself slightly and thanking his stars he wasn’t ten years younger, Castiel made his way to the crew deck..

“Good morning, Cas!” said the moose as he bounded over to the scientist.

“Hi, Sam. Is the crew ready?”

Gabriel spun around in his chair and clapped once. “We’re go for takeoff, Cap. Just need your approval first!”

Castiel opened his mouth to give the go when he felt someone envelop him from behind. Smiling and leaning back into his mate’s touch, he sighed.

“Weren’t you supposed to be in the shower?”

“Yeah,” came Dean’s gruff voice from somewhere around Castiel’s right ear. “But I figured this would be more interesting than standing in running water staring at a wall thinking of you.”

“We’re not doing much,” Castiel admitted. “Gabriel, give them the go-ahead.”

The pilot was staring at the couple with an amused look on his face. At Castiel’s words, he spun his chair around, muttered “he’s got him so whipped”, and sent the order. The Winchesters and their mates watched as the tiny shuttle made its way to the Earth’s surface. In an hour, they’d land and test the terraformer.

Castiel turned around and kissed Dean affectionately on the nose, ignoring the snort from Gabriel and the chuckle from Sam.

“Seriously, though, I thought you were going to stay back in the room for a little bit longer,” Castiel said.

“Like I said: this is more fun. What’s up, bitch?” Dean asked, slinging an arm around Castiel’s shoulders and turning him around.

“Not much, jerk. God, you’re so whipped, Dean.”

“Shut up, Sam. You know you’re the same.”

The younger Winchester laughed, glancing sideways at Gabriel. “Don’t I know it.”

Gabriel winked back, turning to his computer again.

* * *

All three waited with bated breath as the shuttle touched down little less than an hour later.

“We’re doing good so far,” Pamela said over the comms. “The planet looks like it always has. A whole lotta dust.”

“It didn’t used to look like that,” Castiel reminisced sadly. The vampires old enough to remember Earth nodded in agreement.

“Alright, we’re approaching the coordinates of where you wanted us to set the terraformer,” said Ash, the new entry in Pam’s team.

After she’d lost Lisa and Uriel to the mutants, she’d looked all over for two new people. She came up with Ash, a very easygoing vampire with a knack for computers, and Jess, an incredible smart blonde vampire that had graduated twice from Stanford (a hundred years apart, of course).

“The instructions are within the terraformer, correct?” Jess asked. 

“Yes, but I’ll go ahead and tell you again: there’s a red button on the top. When you press it, the terraformer will open. There’s a timer inside. Set the timer for an hour and hit the green button. Head back to the shuttle, take off, and return safely. There should be no hitches-I checked the blueprints and there’s no extra steps,” Castiel informs the group.

“We’re going to move the Impala so it doesn’t get any of the backwash from the radiation needed to terraform,” Gabriel said. “That’s why we gave you the extra fuel—you’re gonna have to make that shuttle give you everything it’s got in order to get back to the Impala, which will be behind the moon for shelter, within an hour.”

“Does that mean we get to use the forbidden Turbo Speed that there’s always been a button for but no one is allowed to use?” Ash asked excitedly.

“Only as a last ditch effort,” Sam replied. “I designed that and I’ve only ever used it once. I ended up skyrocketing to Saturn in the time it took me to recover and hit the button to turn it off. Balthazar had to come rescue me and still hasn’t let me forget it.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t do that,” Jess said. “Everyone ready to set the terraformer up?”

There was a general sound of agreement from the team and the people on the crew deck, even those who didn’t have to breathe, held their breath.

“Alright, it’s open. Setting the timer to an hour now.” The sound of a dial turning was heard after Pam’s voice.

“Everyone get back to the shuttle and bring it here. I’ll press the button and then haul ass through the door so we can get the hell outta dodge,” Ash said.

Pam and Jess obeyed his orders, running with their vampire speed back to the shuttle and firing it up. They brought it to Ash, who hit the button and made sure the timer was actually going. He ran into the shuttle, they closed the door, and they put the thing on full speed heading toward the Impala.

Gabriel input a command into the computer and slid his chair over to the steering controls, pressing his finger in the middle and sliding it down and right. An announcement to expect some turbulence sounded as the Impala slowly tipped to the right and headed for the moon.

Gabriel piloted it to behind the gray planet, steadying the ship out and placing it securely behind the moon.

Then, all they could do was wait.

* * *

 

There were three timers on screens in the crew deck, all of which read 5:30.23.

“There’s five minutes left. Where did the shuttle go?” Castiel asked worriedly.

“I don’t know. At maximum speed without using Turbo, communications are spotty at best. They sent us a confirmation ten minutes ago that they were still alive but I haven’t seen anything since,” Gabriel informed everyone.

“Request for landing authorization!” one of the vampiric computer assistants said. 

“Give it to them! Is it Pamela and the team?” Sam asked.

“Yes! The cameras showing the inside of the shuttle confirm it’s them.”

“Open the doors,” Castiel ordered. “Tell them to hurry. The timer’s at 4 minutes.”

The shuttle made it inside safely and Gabriel raised the shields, tinting them slightly in case the terraformer’s explosion was bright.

The timers counted down the minutes as Gabriel checked the operations and made sure everything was working. The _Amaterasu_ and the _Avenger_ were nearby, waiting to see the terraformation as well. 

When the timers hit 0, everyone took a deep breath.

At first, nothing happened. But then, a bright light began flickering in the spot where the machine had been. Gabriel tinted the shield even more as the light began to spread. After a minute, it covered the area of a continent. After 5, it covered the whole visible surface of the planet. In ten minutes, Gabriel confirmed that it covered the entire planet.

“Looks like you did,” Dean remarked to his mate.

“That bright?” Castiel asked, unable to take his eyes away from the light.

“Brighter, actually. We had no idea what the hell was going on. When Pamela returned to the ship an hour later with you all rag-dolled in her arms, that was the first time I panicked in nearly a millenia,” Dean replied.

“I’m thankful you were able to keep your cool, especially after the fits you said I kept having.”

“Yeah,” Dean chuckled. “Those were kind of funny. We’d be sitting there watching you sleep and you’d just start seizing. We’d have to go grab sunglasses and hold you down because there was light just spilling from you. It scared the hell out of Bobby."

Castiel chuckled, pointing to the planet’s surface. “Look. It’s going away.”

Slowly, slower than the light had spread, it began to recede. When it became a pinprick at the location of the terraformer, cheers began to break out across the deck.

In the wake of the light, there was a drastic color change. Where there had been red, there was now solid green and liquid blue.

Castiel felt a smile break across his face as the colors were revealed. Next to him, his mate whooped before pulling the elf-angel into a kiss that would have made the soldiers returning from WWII jealous. Across from them, Sam and Gabriel were doing the same thing.

Separating from Dean, Castiel smiled brightly. “We did it!”

“You did it, Cas!” Dean replied, kissing the elf-angel again. “It was all you. We just helped the project along.”

“From what I’m hearing, I assume it worked?” Pamela asked as she, Ash, and Jess walked into the room.

“Pamela!” Castiel exclaimed, walking over to hug her. “We did it. It worked. Go look at the planet.”

Her suprised gasp as she saw what was through the window gave Castiel pause as he passed Ash and Jess to walk out of the room.

Leaning against the wall slightly outside the door, he sighed heavily. 

“Why’d you leave?” Dean asked, having followed his mate the instant he saw him leave the room.

“It’s overwhelming. I’ve been here less than a year and already I feel like I’ve made everything right with the world, no pun intended. It’s too much responsibility,” Castiel admitted. 

“I’ll agree with you there, but you deserve all the praise. I mean, you just saved us from having to spend another five millennia in a spaceship. Without you, we’d be running around like chickens with our heads cut off,” Dean said. “Without you, I’d be nothing.”

Castiel smiled and pulled the vampire close to him, kissing him with all he had. “And I would be nothing without you.”

“Good,” Dean replied. “Because now we can go back to our rooms and you can fulfill your promise.”

Castiel laughed surprisedly as Dean slung him over his shoulder, running at top speed to the teleporter.

This promised to be an interesting night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'll put the smut at the beginning of next chapter. I'll include a Sabriel scene too, this time with writing going all the way through, not stopping like I've done with the last two.
> 
> Feedback me please! I have two oneshots already out and one more coming that need some love, as does this story.
> 
> Bookmark, subscribe, leave kudos, do whatever you want to do!
> 
> The last few chapters will be out by the end of April, I promise.


	20. Earth Makeover-Stage 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiel and Sabriel love scenes first, actual plot later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an utter and absolute shit.
> 
> This is a fact.
> 
> You're getting a double update.
> 
> This is also a fact.
> 
> Enjoy the new chapters!

"Ca-ah!-s!" Dean yelled as the elf-angel nailed his prostate dead-on.

"Yes, Dean?" Castiel asked, smirking.

"Fuck..." Dean panted appreciatively. "I thought you said you were a virgin. Where'd-AH!-you learn how to do this?"

Castiel chuckled, his wings flapping behind him and settling onto Dean's, making the vampire twitch and moan. "I said I was a virgin, not a monk. I watched just as much porn as the average human male."

"You don't learn this just from porn, Cas," Dean replied, gasping. 

"I guess I'm just that good, then," Castiel replied, pulling Dean's legs onto his shoulders and thrusting deep and upwards.

Dean's back arched off the bed as he came untouched with a cry, his wings snapping open and Castiel's hand on his bondmark. The elf-angel followed directly after, sinking onto his mate and gasping when the vampire bit him gently.

"That's not a good idea unless you want a repeat of the last half hour," Castiel said, hard yet again.

Dean chuckled throatily around his mouthful of blood and flipped them over, spreading his wings out and rocking back onto Castiel's cock.

"And if I did?"

Castiel laughed deeply and grabbed onto one of Dean's horns, pulling the vampire to him.

"If you did," he whispered against Dean's lips, "you're in for more than just half of  _anything_."

* * *

 Sam and Gabriel's day was going much worse.

First, they'd finished the terraforming, which had gone spectacularly. The rest of the day had gone slightly less so.

Sam spilled his artificial blood all over the cafeteria floor, Gabriel had encountered a piece of completely undecipherable code in the Archives and hadn't been able to solve it after four hours, and then they'd both started working on the second stage of the terraformation.

In order to recolonize the planet, they'd need to explore it first. Then, they'd need to take building materials and create suitable habitats for the humans  _and_ vampires on the spaceships. They'd need to set up a sewer system, a water system, and transportation.

Sam and Gabriel hadn't even gotten to the exploration plans before shit had hit the fan. Zachariah and Alastair had started a fistfight in the cell they shared, and Gabriel had had to teleport the lesser of two evils (it took five minutes of careful consideration--popcorn or break it up?) to the crew deck, teleport the other to a different cell, then teleport the second back to the original cell. Then, a couple humans had come down with an STD after an orgy and suddenly, it was supposedly the captain's job to find out who'd gone into the party with herpes.

All in all, Sam and Gabriel were  _tired_. They weren't supposed to be--they were vampires, after all, but they were tired. 

That didn't stop Gabriel from being his usual insatiable self. Sam, however, wasn't very willing.

" _Gabrielll_ ," he said, pushing his bond-mate away for the fifth time. "I told you, I just want to go to bed and be done with this day."

"It'll make you forget everything," Gabriel purred.

"So will sleep, Gabe. Please, just let me go to bed and we can have some perfectly nice morning sex tomorrow."

"But Saammmoooossee," Gabriel pleaded.

"NO!" Sam thundered, and immediately regretted it. The shocked look on Gabriel's face was the cherry on top of a shitty day, and he felt even worse when Gabriel plodded over to the door, muttered something like, "I'll just be leaving, then" and opened the door.

Sam rushed to the door and hugged his bond-mate from behind. "I'm sorry for yelling. The day was too much for me, it seemed."

"It's okay, I'll just go back to my room and sleep there. You obviously don't want me here," Gabriel said, pouting.

Sam rolled his eyes, barely keeping a chuckle contained. It came out as more of a purr, a deep rumble in his chest.

Gabriel whirled around. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No," Sam said, keeping a smile off of his face. "I'm purring."

"I thought only cats did that, not mooses." Gabriel replied, unable to keep a smile off of his face.

Sam smiled as well. "I'm not exactly your average moose, Gabe." Leading his soulmate to their bed, Sam laid him down and spooned him.

"Sorry, Gabe. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"I accept your apology, Moose. But don't think this means I've forgiven you."

"Oh?" Sam asked. "And what would it take for you to forgive me?"

"It would take," Gabriel growled, "you, me, together, naked. Preferably with you in me."

"That," Sam replied, rolling them over so Gabriel was on his back and kissing his bondmate, "I can do."

Sliding a hand down Gabriel's body, Sam chuckled as the smaller vampire arched his back up and shuddered. Sam wrapped a hand around Gabriel's dick, his other pulling Gabe's hips up to grind against his.

Gabriel moaned, the sound muffled in their kiss, his arms coming up to wrap around Sam's shoulders.

"Do you-unh!-remember where we left the lube?" Gabriel asked.

"No," Sam replied. "But I know I put a spare bottle in the nightstand this morning."

Grabbing for said bottle, the taller vampire spread some on his fingers and returned his hand to the spot it had been, stroking lightly up and down Gabriel's shaft before moving his hand down to Gabriel's entrance and pushing two fingers in at once.

Gabriel let out a near-scream at that, arching his back again and pulling Sam's hips closer to him with his legs.

"Don't prepare me. Just put it in," Gabriel gasped.

"I don't want to hurt you," Sam said.

"Moose," Gabriel replied, pointing to himself then Sam. "Vampires. Can't get hurt."

Sam laughed, acquiescing. He pulled his fingers away and replaced them with his hardness.

"Yessss," Gabriel hissed. "Give it to me."

"You're awfully eager tonight," Sam commented. "Why so needy?"

"After you kissed me this morning,when the terraformer worked, I couldn't stop fantasizing about us. I kept trying to get you to-ah!-hey, I'm trying to talk here! I kept trying to get you to distract me, but you were too...well, distracted."

"I'm not now," Sam said, pushing into the smaller vampire again and biting into his neck.

"Definitely not," Gabriel moaned, pulling Sam closer to him and running his nails down his back.

* * *

Three hours later, both Winchesters, Gabriel, and Castiel all appeared on the crew deck at the same time. Every single one of them burst into laughter.

"Castiel! Your sex hair right now is  _legendary_ ," Gabriel chuckled. 

"I should say the same to you," the elf-angel replied. "Yours is absolutely ludicrous."

Sam and Dean slapped each other on the back, almost crying with laughter. "I'm guessing your mate is just as insatiable as mine?" Sam asked, gasping.

"Entirely," Dean replied, just as winded.

"If you're all done, I'd like to get the exploration plans in motion," Bobby said gruffly.

"Sure thing, old man," Dean replied, getting himself together first. "Let's get it over with."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that was an Outlander reference in the beginning of the chapter.
> 
> I really am sorry for not updating in nearly two months.
> 
> I'd been so busy getting my semester GPA back up to a 4.0 that I totally forgot about my adorable space vampires. (Yes, I am a high school student. Interpret this information any way you wish.)
> 
> Now, however, I am out of school and taking requests for one-shots!
> 
> Read the next chapter too!


	21. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group is sent to Earth to explore a suitable place for the people on the ships. Things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this at 2:00 a.m. while watching Torchwood because I'm too scared to watch the last two episodes of season 2 of the rebooted Doctor Who.
> 
> The last chapter was short and smutty, but this one will be short and sweet.

Castiel Novak sighed as he watched the six shuttles heading toward the now reformed planet.

"That was an awfully large sigh for someone who doesn't have much to worry about in life," Dean commented, smirking as he wrapped his arms around Castiel from behind.

"Very funny," Castiel replied sarcastically, entwining his fingers with Dean's. "No, I'm just thinking about what's going to happen now that we've terraformed the Earth. Will the  _Impala, Avenger,_ and  _Amaterasu_ be left where we land them for millions of years and collect dust? Will the other supernatural creatures come back? Can humanity survive having all of them on Earth? I mean, we know just how well that ended last time, and-mmph."

He was cut off by Dean's mouth closing over his.

"Cas." Dean said as he pulled away. "It'll be fine. Humanity functioned with us behind the curtain for thousands of years. What's so different about it now?"

Castiel shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just afraid of things like racism and bigotry making a return along with the other races. What if they start treating the humans like lesser beings?"

"Cas, honey, in all respects, humans  _are_ the lesser beings. However, because we have you to bridge the divide between all of the races, I think we'll be okay," Dean replied, turning the scientist around to hug him. "If something like that happens, we can fix it. Don't worry about it. Let things take their course."

They both stayed silent for a few minutes, at home in each other's arms, until Castiel asked a question. "What can you see?"

"Hmm?" Dean replied.

"Can you see anything in the future? About the races?"

"Cas..." Dean said. "I can't look that far. It could jeopardize things beyond repair. Besides, I'd have to go into my true form to do it."

"There's no one here besides us," Castiel said, pulling back. "No one can see you, so please? Look for me?"

Dean sighed. "Fine. But if I see something I shouldn't, you're not finding out about it."

Stepping back and phasing into his real form, Dean tipped his head back as his eyes rolled backwards into his head. Castiel watched, entranced, as red lightning began crackling back and forth between the vampire's horns. Suddenly, the vampire's head snapped forward and his eyes opened, looking straight at Castiel.

In a tone and timbre that sounded like a million different voices talking at once, the vampire spoke: "Castiel Novak. You have called upon the sight of the future. What is it you wish to know?"

"Dean?" Castiel asked.

"He can see this exchange but will take no part in it. What do you wish to know?"

"I feel like there's a catch to this. My first question is, how many questions can I ask you?" Castiel asked.

The thing in Dean's body smirked. "You are wise beyond your years. You may ask as many as you wish, hybrid, if you let us ask questions in return. That is, in our own way."

"Which would be?" Castiel inquired nervously.

"Letting us look into your memories and mind," the creatures replied. "It will not be painful, and you will not see anything you do not wish to see."

"Deal," Castiel replied. "First, I'd like to ask what you are."

"We are everything," they said. "We are time, space, nature, matter, and energy."

"So you're God?"

"Yes," they said, "and no. We have god-like powers, but we did not create ourselves. God is a relative term. The being that created us is too far beyond the stigma associated with 'God'."

"I can believe that," Castiel remarked. "Now, you said that I could ask you about the future?"

"Yes," they breathed, "but be careful. You do not want to see too far, Castiel Novak. You might reach far enough that you cannot return."

"All I need to know is this," Castiel said. "If the other supernatural beings return, will they treat the humans with respect?"

They laughed. "Of course. They will have you to guide them."

"That's good to know. At least I won't have to worry about any genocides."

"No, you will not."

"Can you block about five minutes of this from Dean's memories?" Castiel asked, suddenly determined.

"Of course. Time is ticking, better ask soon," the creatures replied, smirking. Dean's eyes were now pure black, not red.

"If I'm turned into a vampire like Dean, will my angelic and elven characteristics survive?"

The creatures laughed yet again, the sound unimaginably ancient and somewhat creepy in that multitude of voices.

"If  _Deanpheiceteo_ turns you, your elf-angel genes will not only survive, but they will  ** _thrive_**. We look forward to it," the creatures said, their voices taking on a playful yet reverent tone. "You may even surpass the one who created us. She is, after all, part of everything and yet part of nothing."

"Thank you," Castiel replied. "You may do the memory searching now."

"Oh no, we've seen enough," the creatures chuckled. "We want something different. Something less significant and yet more powerful than any memory."

"What?"

"A feather," the creatures replied, "from your wings."

Castiel summoned the feathery appendages forth and spread them, letting out a sigh of relief as his canines lengthened.

"We will never get tired of seeing that," the creatures said. They giggled, looking down at Dean's body. "It seems your mate doesn't either."

Castiel blushed, plucking a loose feather from his wings and making a mental note to groom them later. He held it out to the creatures and they reached Dean's arm up to grab it. It disappeared on contact and Castiel staggered back, the psychic forces around him overwhelming for a minute.

"What was that?"

The creatures sighed in ecstasy. "Our Lady. You are her favorite by far. She would normally not come so close in contact with one of her creations."

"You mean to say that I just touched the creator of the entire universe?" Castiel asked, dumbfounded.

"No," the creatures replied, amused. "She touched you. You will find Her mark on you soon, hybrid. Or, rather, your mate will. Now, ask your other questions."

"I don't have any more questions," Castiel said. 

"Yes, you do," the creatures said. "You are a scientist. You always have questions."

"Fine," Castiel admitted, "two more. What is your Lady's name, and will I ever meet her?"

The creatures stepped closer to Castiel, taking his hands. "She is not just _our_ Lady. She is your Lady too, hybrid. She has many names, but you may call Her Izanami, and you will meet her when you meet her." They stopped, looking over Dean's shoulder. "She calls for us to return. We will leave your mate, Castiel, and you may tell him all that transpired." Their black eyes twinkled. "If you wish."

"Thank you," Castiel replied. 

Dean's body shuddered, his head tipping back again and the lightning between his horns dissipating. The vampire gasped, falling over forwards. Castiel caught him and laid Dean's head in his lap, mindful of his horns' sharp tips.

"What the fuck was that, Cas? You could have been killed! Those were the It!"

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "The It?"

Dean sighed. "I forgot, you don't know anything about the world after your disappearance. About twenty years after you came here, a cult emerged on the Earth. They worshipped the It, creatures of immeasurable strength and power. Everyone thought they were just crackheads, until Sam and I were called to investigate one of their warehouses. Inside, we found that people had been taken over by the It and were communicating with the leaders of the cult. No one was killed, but they still possessed people. After that, we've had a few encounters with them but never something like _that_." 

The vampire shuddered. "It was like having the entire world in my head at one time. It didn't hurt, per se, but it was...different. I'm surprised you didn't get killed. You should have run, Castiel, the minute you saw that lightning."

Castiel chuckled, stroking Dean's hair. "I wasn't afraid, Dean. I knew that if something was in your body, you'd do everything in your rather considerable mental power to prevent it from hurting me. I was curious, I'll admit, and that's why I started asking questions."

"I know," Dean said, becoming quiet again. It was several minutes before he spoke. "Why did you ask them about me turning you?"

Castiel wasn't even surprised. He'd mentally told the It to remove the block, but he didn't know if it had worked or not. "I wanted to know if I would survive it, or if my heritage would."

"Cas," Dean said, "I wouldn't turn you unless I was absolutely sure you'd retain your elf-angel looks."

"Well, now that you know it's safe," Castiel murmured, leaning down and kissing his mate, "do you want to turn me?"

"Cas, I--" Dean stopped, his eyes snapping open. In an instant, he was on his feet, growling, as he pushed Castiel behind him.

"Dean, what--?" Castiel trailed off as he saw the person standing at the other side of the room. 

A woman stood there, smiling benevolently at them. She was tall, about Castiel's height, with flaming red hair and eyes the color of gold Castiel had only ever seen in his own irises. A crown of golden leaves sat perched upon her head. He knew, instantly, who this woman was.

"Who are you?" Dean growled.

"Dean, it's fine," Castiel said, stepping out from behind the snarling vampire and taking a step towards the woman, smiling. "Hello, grandmother."

A second figure phased into existence next to Tatiana. He had dark brown hair and Castiel's blue eyes. Trailing behind him were six golden wings, 3 on each side.

"Hello father," Castiel said to the man. "To what do I owe this visit from the two of you?"

"We're coming back, Castiel," Tatiana said. "Expect us soon."

"Alright," Castiel said, nodding. The two disappeared again and Castiel felt himself being turned.

"What. The. Fuck. Castiel."

"I believe I just spoke to two of the most powerful beings in the universe," Castiel replied, a little shocked.

"If not  _THE_ most! That was Tatiana, queen of the fucking elves. She's older than I am! And that was  _THE SERAPH_. The most powerful angel in all of existence," Dean said, dumbfounded. "How are you even real?"

"I...I don't know," Castiel admitted. "But if they're coming back, we can ask."

"You bet your feathery ass we're asking them. There's no way you're not more powerful than me now," Dean said.

"If that's what you're worried about, you could always overpower me right now and carry me off to bed," Castiel whispered in the vampire's ear.

"Fine," Dean growled back, "but I'm grooming your wings first. You look like a parakeet that got in a fight with a blow-dryer and lost."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUM BUM BUM BUMMMMMM 
> 
> Cliffie! Ermahgerd! 
> 
> One, maybe two more chapters this week after this one and Starlight in Green Eyes will reach its conclusion! Yay?
> 
> Leave some kudos or a comment, like, subscribe, bookmark, do whatever it is you awesome readers do!


	22. Meet the Extended Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Castiel summon his grandmother and father to ask what the hell Castiel is and when they'll be coming back. Chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one comments on my chapters anymore T^T I'm almost done with this fic, please love me.
> 
> Enjoy the smut and backstory!

Castiel leaned back onto his mate, disturbing the bubbles idly floating on the surface of the warm, rose-scented water. "A bath was a  _very_ good idea, Dean."

"Well," Dean replied, wrapping his arms around his mate, "we were both covered in cosmic dirt from grooming your wings and sweat from being nervous about the explorations earlier. A bath made complete sense."

Castiel hummed in agreement, enjoying the feeling of the water dissolving his tension. "I'm sad I had to put my wings away. They felt so clean and soft, and then I had to bind them up again."

"I thought you liked the bath idea," Dean questioned, faking offense. "Now you're complaining about it?"

"Mm, sorry," Castiel said, turning around to face his mate and putting his knees on either side of the vampire's hips. "Any way I can make it up to you?"

Dean smirked, his hands going to Castiel's backside. "I can think of a few." 

The elf-angel giggled as he put his hands on either side of Dean's head and pulled him to himself for a gentle kiss, rocking back on his growing arousal. 

"Cassss," Dean hissed, feeling the slide of Castiel's body on his under the water. "There's no lube in the bathroom."

"We don't need it," Castiel whispered in his mate's ear as he unfurled his wings, careful to keep them out of the bathwater. "I came up with quite the new trick the other day. I've been waiting to test it out."

The vampire groaned, shifting into his true form, as he felt himself enter the elf-angel with no resistance at all. He groaned his mate's name, his hands gripping his hips, as the elf-angel rocked slowly back and forth.

"Don't move me too fast, we'll spill the water everywhere," Castiel said breathlessly, his wings quivering behind him. Every gentle movement of his hips pushed the head of Dean's cock into his prostate, making him shiver despite the warm bathwater beneath him and the vampire. Dean leaning forward to gently bite at his nipples certainly didn't help.

"Can you come like this, angel?" Dean asked later after soft sighs and quiet moans.

"Only if you bite me, Dean," Castiel replied, relishing in the feeling of the slow, gentle pace. 

The vampire leaned forward, kissing and then biting Castiel's bondmarks. The elf-angel moaned, sliding his hand over Dean's bondmark. The two came more or less at the same time, panting.

"Now we need another bath," Dean said, shaking his wings out behind him.

"Let's shower this time. We need to go meet my in-laws."

* * *

" _Sam_ ," Gabriel moaned. "Talk to me all you want, use your mouth for everything you want, just always use it for  _thissss-ah!_ "

Sam laughed around his mouthful of Gabriel's cock, making the angel arch up and moan. He twisted his fingers in Gabriel's ass, bumping his prostate. The larger vampire started to respond but was stopped by a restricting hand in his hair.

"Don't talk with-ah!-your mouth full, moose," Gabriel scolded half-heartedly, tugging on Sam's hair. "Get up here and kiss me."

Sam obeyed, smiling against his mate's lips as Gabriel shuddered at his own taste.

"Why did we wait to do this for five-fucking-thousand years?" Gabriel asked, nibbling Sam's lips with his sharp canines and licking up the beads of blood left behind.

"I don't know, but we should probably make up for that," Sam replied.

Gabriel laughed. "I don't think we or our dicks would survive five thousand years' worth of sex in one night."

Sam chuckled, rolling over so he was on his back and Gabriel was on top of him. "I didn't mean it like that, dork. We've got unlimited years to make up for it. Want to start tonight?"

"Hell yes," Gabriel said, sinking back onto Sam's cock and waiting no time at all before riding his mate hard.

Sam's head hit the pillow as he hissed in pleasure, digging his heels into the bed for some leverage. "God,  _Gabriel_."

The smaller vampire smirked. "One of those is me, the other isn't even close."

Sam thrust up,  _hard_ , and reveled in the jolt and the small moan that it startled out of his mate. "Don't think about anything right now except for the feeling of me in you. We're supposed to be making up for five millennia and you're babbling about God."

Gabriel's head fell back as he moaned. "Yesssss, Sam, keep going!"

And they did. Until Dean sent an urgent telecom about Castiel's parents.

* * *

 

"Is everyone ready to meet their new family?" Castiel asked. Gabriel and Sam both looked at him confusedly. "Dean and I are mates. Sam, you're Dean's brother and Gabriel is your mate. We're technically family now."

Gabriel laughed, slapping Castiel on the back. "I wouldn't have any other brother, bro."

Castiel smiled. "Thank you, Gabriel. Now, this is the time and place that I've been telepathically told to meet. They should appear within the next few minutes."

On cue, a bright white light shone at the center of the room. The tall woman and the bare-footed, white-clothed man reappeared.

Sam and Gabriel both dropped to their knees, their right hand pressed flat against their sternums.

"Your Majesty," Sam said reverently. Gabriel nodded at Tatiana respectfully and bowed even lower to the man.

Queen Tatiana and The Seraph waved them off. "Please, rise," Tatiana said. "You are family to us now, yes?"

Castiel and Dean looked at each other affectionately. Castiel stepped forward, bowing to his grandmother. "Hello, Tatiana."

"Oh, Castiel, don't bow," she replied, pulling him into a hug. "I have waited for this day for a long time."

"We both have," The Seraph added, pulling Castiel into a hug as well. "Hello, my son. It is good to finally meet you."

Castiel stepped back, looking at his relatives. "It is wonderful to meet you two as well. Now, please, enlighten me as to why I'm descended from the two most powerful beings in the universe."

Tatiana and The Seraph both smiled before chairs appeared behind everyone. Castiel sat down, motioning for Sam, Dean, and Gabriel to as well. The Elf Queen and the angel both sat as well.

"It all began back in the fifteenth century," Tatiana began, "when I fell in love with a mortal man. It was many years after King Leander died, and I was desperate for attention. I had been repairing some dead trees in the woods when a man looking for fairies stumbled upon me. He thought he had died and gone to Heaven. I was amused by this mortal, whose name was Charles, and talked to him. He was a writer who had been trying to publish his books for ages but wasn't having any luck. I humored him by listening to his story. We kept meeting in the forest for five years and fell in love. Things got heated one day and a week later I discovered I was pregnant. Of course, since the child was a hybrid, I hid from Charles.

"I ended up bringing him into the elven realm eventually, but he was so surprised that he died from shock. I had the baby not long after that, due to elven gestation periods being much longer than humans. I left the baby with a family that I knew would adopt her. That was in 1875 in London, England. Now, fast forward eighteen years. My daughter became pregnant with you, Castiel, and moved to America in a panic to escape her family's wrath. She had the baby two years later and I took you in. I kept you until I could finish the amulet with the piece of my crown in it to protect you. I put a charm on the amulet not to let your powers show through unless you were in an extremely stressful situation, and then I released you to your family."

Castiel stared at the floor, overwhelmed. "You mean I'm over two hundred years old?"

"Yes," Tatiana replied. "I am sorry for how your family turned out. I did not expect them to go downhill in such a way. However, it led you to this point, so it can't have been all bad."

"Not at all," Castiel reassured her, sending his mate a mental nudge of affection. "I couldn't have wished for it to go better."

"Now, Castiel, I will tell my part of the story," The Seraph said, sitting up straighter in his chair. "I met your mother when she was eighteen, like Tatiana said. I was visiting the earth on a mission from God and saw her. She was standing in a meadow, the sun shining down on her black hair as the wind blew the flowers around her. I didn't think twice-I immediately walked over and began speaking to her. We talked until the sun went down and she had to return home. The next day, we talked even more. It was much like what happened with your grandmother and Charles, but much shorter. Saerah and I only knew each other for about two months before we conceived you. I found her soul in Heaven not too long after she had you. She had been killed by her brother, who finally found her after disowning her and swearing to kill her if he ever saw her again. We were reunited and have been living happily together in that realm for many years. She is only a few years away from becoming an angel, so you will be able to meet her soon."

Dean got up and moved to Castiel, pulling the elf-angel into his lap and kissing his tears away. He waved Tatiana and The Seraph away, muttering that his mate would be okay in a minute.

"I am sorry our stories made you sad," Tatiana said, "but we need to make a plan for the return of the other species."

Castiel kissed Dean quickly before rising to his feet. "Of course. We have terraformed the earth, as you know, and as soon as we can build shelters, we will put the humans on the surface. We can make shelters to accommodate yours and the other species, but the leaders of each must sign a treaty."

"Of course," Tatiana and The Seraph said as Dean exclaimed, "What!?"

"Dean, I can't have the races infighting or treating the humans like lower beings. Everyone must be equal, and the only way to ensure that is a treaty assuring that any person who treats another with bigotry will be severely punished."

The Elf Queen and The Seraph turned to each other, sharing a proud look as Castiel produced a roll of paper and handed it to each.

"I will pass this to the other races," The Seraph said, hugging Castiel.

The angel turned to Dean, a friendly hand held out to shake. Dean forewent the handshake and went straight for a hug. "Thank you, Dad-in-law, for creating my beautiful mate."

The Seraph laughed, responding, "You are welcome," before disappearing in a flash of white light.

Tatiana hugged Castiel as well, kissing him on the cheek before disappearing in a glow of gold.

There was absolute silence in the room as the Winchesters, Gabriel, and Castiel all stood in awe of what had just happened.

"Holy shit," Gabriel said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Holy indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost over! Only one or two more chapters left!
> 
> Like I said--leave me a comment/bookmark/kudos, whatever!
> 
> I love you all!


	23. Resolutions and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earth is deemed ready for rehabitation. Everyone starts reassuming their positions with the help of Castiel and his treaty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not getting as much publicity on this as I would like, so I'm glad it's ending and I can focus more on You and Me and the Devil Makes Three.
> 
> Enjoy!

Castiel Novak took a deep breath and smiled as Dean's nose nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"Penny for your thoughts?" the vampire asked, wrapping his arms tightly around Castiel's waist.

"I just can't believe the treaties were successful; or that we're already sending people down to Earth. It's unbelievable that it's all happening because of...well, me," Castiel admitted, intertwining his fingers with Dean's.

Dean chuckled into his mate's neck, making the elf-angel shiver. "You know we're all incredibly proud of you, right? Especially me?"

Castiel smiled, embarrassed. "I know. It's just strange to think that five thousand and one years ago I was just an average scientist working on a high-profile device."

"Hey, you weren't average. Someone decided to deliver you right to me, something that we'll be thankful for for the rest of all time," Dean replied.

"Dean..." Castiel said, turning around to face his mate and putting his arms around his shoulders, "I don't know if I'll live as long as you. I do have more angel in me than elf or human, and angels are immortal, but I'm afraid my human and elven sides will cause me to age."

"They won't," Dean reassured him. "I asked your dad. He said that there had only ever been one like you, and she wasn't the child of the most powerful angel. She was even older than Sam and I. She was killed by a demon right before you disappeared, but The Seraph was sure that, had she not been killed, she would have survived for millennia."

"Does that mean you're not going to turn me?" Castiel asked meekly.

Dean smiled, kissing the scientist. "No, angel. If I did, I'd die. Your blood is the only thing that can sustain me. That's another reason that you'll live forever: any bondmate who bloods and mates a vampire stays alive as long as that vampire is alive. I wasn't sure how to tell you, but you're stuck with me forever, Cas. There's no gettin' rid of me."

Castiel beamed, kissing his mate with a fervor. "God, I love you. I'd never, ever want to get rid of you, Dean Winchester. Ever. If I'm stuck with you, you're stuck with me."

Dean laughed in response, ruffling his mate's hair and kissing his forehead. "There's no one I'd rather spend the rest of eternity with than you, Castiel."

"That hurts," Sam said mock-offendedly as he walked into the room.

"Bitch," Dean remarked nonchalantly, still staring into his mate's beautiful blue-gold eyes.

"Jerk," the taller Winchester replied. "Are you ready to dock  _Impala_?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Dean said, walking over to the control console and pulling his mate along behind him.

It had been a month since Castiel had handed his father and grandmother their treaties. In that month, many things had happened.

Balthazar and Micheal had started going out (Dean totally called it, as he said not thirty seconds into the stunned silence that followed the two's announcement). Sam and Dean had come up with the idea for a special dock that would hold all three starships and had immediately started building it. Castiel's treaties had been returned by him, signed by all the races. He'd made Sam, Dean, Bobby, and the oldest human on board the  _Impala_ sign them before casting a spell he'd learned from his grandmother to make it so the documents could never be destroyed. The dock was now finished, and the  _Impala_ was the last ship to attach to it. According to Sam, the small shadow of the ships in space were a signal of hope to humanity that, when they got their Earth legs back, they could explore the final frontier (Castiel had teased him for days after about the Star Trek reference).

Now that  _Impala_ was ready to dock, Castiel felt a sense of peace. The mutants were gone, Earth was being re-inhabited, and he and his family would live forever. It was a comforting thought, one that put a rest to all of the stress and worry Castiel had accumulated since he'd grown up too fast.

"You're great at holding conversations with yourself, Cas," Dean said with no small amount of amusement. 

Castiel laughed in reply. "Sorry. I was just thinking about everything that's happened."

"Again? Jeez, Cas, get over yourself." The vampire chuckled when Castiel punched him in the shoulder none-too-lightly. "Gabe, go ahead and dock her."

"Roger that, Cap'n"."

"I was just wishing my family were here to see this. My siblings, not my mom or dad," Castiel said indignantly.

Dean smiled, kissing his mate on the nose. "I'd love to have met them."

"You would have loved them, Dean. Donovan was the best older brother anyone could ask for. Gabriella was the sweetest and one of the smartest people I've ever met. The twins, Jensen and Jared, were rambunctious as hell but they knew how to make any member of the family smile, even with our horrible situation," Castiel said, wiping tears from his cheeks as he sniffled. "God, I miss them. I talked to all of them about a week before I left. I can't imagine what they must have felt when they heard their brother had died only a week after they talked to him."

The vampire wrapped his mate into a hug. "I'm sure they're just as proud of you as the rest of us are, Cas. Earth has been totally re-inhabited and the ships are all docked. We're ready to step foot on Earth without radiation suits for the first time in five thousand years. You've given us our freedom and our planet back, Castiel. Of course they'd love what you've done."

Castiel sniffled again, nuzzling into Dean's chest. "I love you."

"I love you too," Dean replied, hugging his mate tighter.

* * *

 

An hour later,  _Impala_ had been powered down. Sam's pride and joy, the engine, was now dark. The dock was fully operational, and the ships were finally ready for everyone to leave them. Castiel had made sure that all the habitats they'd implemented on Earth's surface were ready before he, Gabriel, and the Winchesters had left the crew deck for the shuttle deck. There was one shuttle left, and it was filled with the Winchesters' personal belongings, along with Castiel and Gabriel's. 

Castiel took another deep breath and stepped into the shuttle. The last time he'd been in one, the ensuing events had led to the discovery that he was only 25% human. He'd almost died, putting Pamela at risk on top of that.

Dean followed him in, sitting in one of the piloting chairs. Sam assumed the other one, leaving Gabriel and Castiel to buckle into the back seats.

Sam sighed loudly. "I'm gonna miss her. I've taken care of this ship for five thousand years, dammit. I feel like my life has no purpose now."

Dean laughed, piloting the shuttle out of the bay. "You're fine. You'll find something productive to do on Earth, I know it."

"I'm something productive," Gabriel said cheekily, making Castiel laugh.

After that, the group was silent as they watched Earth get closer and closer in the front glass of the shuttle.

"She's even more beautiful than I remember," Sam said.

"That's because there's no pollution. This time, we're relying on solar power only. That and your renewable stuff you used for the  _Impala_ 's engine," Gabriel reminded him.

"Did you get our house set up, Cas?" Dean asked.

"Yes, Dean," Castiel replied. "I got Sam and Gabriel's as well. They're a couple miles away from each other, which should give all of us plenty of privacy."

"Great," Sam said. "I didn't know how much more of you two's screaming I could take."

"It's not like you and Gabriel were any better," Dean said. "I'm pretty sure the whole ship heard you that time with the handcuffs."

"What can I say?" Gabriel said. "I've got iron lungs."

Castiel chuckled. "I know. I've heard them more times than I care to."

"Like you're one to talk," Gabriel leered. "At least I don't get all glowy when I come."

"He rearranges furniture, too," Dean added helpfully. Sam laughed.

"So do we, but it's not because of magic."

"Oi!" Gabriel said. "That dresser breaking was not my fault.  _You_ were the one who slammed me into it."

"So that's why you called me on the telecom at two in the morning to fix that dresser," Castiel said. "You broke one of the bed slats, too."

"Sam likes throwing me onto things," Gabriel admitted, shrugging. "It's not my fault."

"Dean does it too," Castiel said. "The wings give him an extra boost, so I hit things much harder."

"Hey! I don't throw you that hard!" Dean said indignantly, bringing the shuttle to a slow stop before setting it down gently on the Earth's surface next to he and Castiel's house. "Sammy, Gabe, you guys'll have to walk to your house from here. I've put a map in your telecoms so it'll be easy to find."

"Thanks, Dean-o. See you tomorrow for lunch and the first all-inclusive Earth Species Meet?" Gabriel asked.

"Of course," Dean replied fake-indignantly. "As prime ambassador for the vampiric race, how could I forget to attend?"

"You're going whether or not you want to," Castiel said, unbuckling. "I've got to be there, and I'm not going to suffer through interspecies bickering without you there to distract me."

"Is that an offer?" Dean asked with a predatory smile.

"No screwing in the shuttle, guys," Sam said, hiding a smile. "Wait until you get inside the house."

Castiel let out a shout of protest as Dean picked him up bridal-style and used his vampire speed to take him out of the shuttle and across the threshold of the house. The vampire waved to his brother and Gabriel before closing the door.

"Really, Dean?" Castiel asked.

"Really. I wanted to treat you in style. Now, before we get to the bed, I want to explore the house a bit. You never let me see the floor plans before you started building," Dean said, setting the bags he'd retrieved from the shuttle before Castiel could even blink on the floor.

"Fine," Castiel said. "But I'll be waiting for you in the bed, and you'd better not leave me hanging."

"Sir, yes sir," Dean replied, kissing his mate before walking off towards the living room.

Castiel sighed, looking around.  _This is where I'm going to spend eternity. And I couldn't be happier._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 24 will be an epilogue!
> 
> Thank you to my diehards for staying with me over the course of these two years of writing! I love you all!!


	24. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel accidentally uses one of his elven powers, which leads to the best happily ever after he and Dean could have ever wished for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS FINALLY DONE
> 
> MY BABY IS FINALLY COMPLETED
> 
> I'm so excited about this. I'm sorry it's so late, I'm horrible about updating. Hopefully I can get my act together with You and Me and the Devil Makes Three and start updating on a regular basis.
> 
> Enjoy!

_The landscape was breathtaking. It looked like space, with a ceiling of stars, walls of stars, and a carpet of stars. It was a view Castiel had become accustomed to, living in the Impala. He just wasn't expecting it to show up in his dreams._

_"Cas?" The elf-angel turned around to see his mate, in his full true form, walking towards him._

_"Dean? How are you here?" He asked, bewildered._

_"You must have used your dreamwalking spell accidentally. It's something elves can do to let their family or significant other look into their dreams sometimes. I guess you must really have wanted me to see this dream."_

_Castiel laughed. "I've never had this one before, though. Want to explore with me?"_

_They walked forward, hand in hand, across the starry landscape. They didn't walk in any sort of direction, with any kind of purpose, yet they ended up at a small pond, also made of stars. It was surrounded by white columns, decorated with white sheer cloths._

_A woman sat next to the pond, her hand drifting back and forth lazily in the water. A school of dazzling gold and silver koi fish swam around her hand._

_"Hello, Deanpheiceteo. Castiel. I am sure you're wondering why you are here," the woman said in a voice that sounded like peals of perfectly tuned bells._

_"Izanami," Castiel breathed in awe. The koi fish turned into the lightning he had seen crackling between his mate's horns, the sound of the Others laughing echoing off the columns as the lighting danced between them before ascending into the sky._

_"Correct," the woman said, standing up and walking over to the mated pair. "I am Izanami, creator of your universe and every other one in your realm of existence."_

_"I have so many questions for you," Castiel admitted." I've been thinking of them ever since the Others told me I would meet you."_

_"Does that mean that you're God?" Dean asked. Castiel elbowed him as Izanami threw back her head and laughed, the sound more beautiful than anything Castiel had ever heard._

_"In a way, yes," the goddess replied. "Although nothing like the one that humankind worshipped for all those years. I don't even know who came up with that. It must have been my pesky angels. They always did love to cause a bit of drama."_

_"You created the races? Does that mean you created me and Sam as vampires?" Dean demanded._

_"Yes, and no," Izanami said mysteriously. "I created you and your brother, and watched as you were turned by your father. I couldn't stand seeing one of my favorite human creations turn into a demon, so I...improvised. Your brother's bloodlust after I turned him was unexpected, however. I did not forsee that. However, I was able to keep it from affecting everyone Sam turned."_

_"Thank you for that," Castiel said. "I don't know what I would have done if Bobby had attacked me when we first met."_

_The goddess laughed yet again, the peals resounding across the starry nightscape. "I wouldn't have let him. You are more special, Castiel, than you think. I have many plans for you in the future. However, I will let you and your mate live your lives out in peace. When the universe comes to an end, however, I shall require both of you to help me create the new one."_

_"You mean..." Castiel gasped._

_"Yes," Izanami said. "You and your mate will help create the new cycle of life, and then you will be free to explore it until it comes to an end. I will require your help yet again to create the new one, and so on and so forth. The cycle will continue for eternity, but do not worry: it will be bearable. The universes will be different each time, and there will be so much to take in. I am sure that our new universe will be breathtaking."_

_"Of course," Dean replied, kneeling to kiss the goddess's hand, "but I'd appreciate it if you could stop making my angel hyperventilate."_

_"I'm fine," said angel informed him, taking a deep breath. "It's just a lot to take in."_

_"You have a few million years for that," Izanami told him, a glint in her eye. "There is no need for it now."_

_"Thank you so much, goddess," Castiel said, beginning to feel himself waking up. "Dean and I would be very honored to help you."_

_"I look forward to the next time we speak," the goddess replied. "Goodbye, Castiel, Dean."_

* * *

 Castiel sat up, panting. Dean rolled over next to him, a smile on his face.

"Well. That was interesting."

"Was it real? Did that really happen?" Castiel asked, bewildered. He continued to question the event until he glanced at his nightstand. Lying there was a rose as black as the night sky, sparkling with jewels as white as the stars. Somehow in his heart, he knew they'd never need to put the rose in water. It would serve as a constant reminder of the dream and all it entailed.

"Yeah, it really did. Damn, you just keep impressing, angel," Dean said, pulling his mate back down under the covers and wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm kind of scared to see the end of the universe. Does that mean your brother and Gabriel and your family are going to die?" Castiel worried.

"Probably. But I think we could convince her Almightiness to let them stay in her kingdom with us. We can visit them periodically if we want. She did say we could go anywhere in the new universe," the vampire assured him.

"That's true," Castiel replied, turning over to face his mate. "Are we going to be able to handle the fact that they're dead?"

Dean propped his head up on his arm and shrugged. "Maybe. I've seen a lot of family die over the years, so it won't affect me as much as it'll affect you."

"That's not true and we both know it," Castiel said, punching his mate in the chest. "It hurts just as much every time. Although, this time we'll be able to visit them and see them."

Dean's voice softened. "She'd probably let you see your family, you know. Donovan and Gabriella and the twins."

Castiel sighed. "I know. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Well," Dean said, pushing the elf-angel onto his back and kissing him, "we do have a couple million years to prepare, Castiel."

The elf-angel laughed, unleashing his wings and kissing the vampire back with as much passion as his sleepy self could muster. "That we do, Dean. That we do."

 

_To Be Continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end of the road for Starlight in Green Eyes...unless I get some requests for one-shots looking into the lives of Castiel/Dean and Sam/Gabriel in the rest of eternity that they're together.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who stuck it through all the way to the end with me!! I really, really appreciate you all and every comment, kudos, bookmark, subscription, and everything y'all have done for me over the past year that I've been posting this fic. I hope you guys will remember this one and come back to it sometimes when you're feeling sentimental!


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